Chapters Episode 2:The Summer Sun Celebration
Paolina sat in a bunch of bushes at the edge of the Everfree forest goofing off with the zoom function as she had already collected all the information she had really needed about the area without actually walking into town. From what Zecora had told her though, the ponies here were very skittish around anything that wasn't a pony, so it would probably be difficult for her to blend in. She let out a small sigh as her eyes flitted from one pony to the next, all of the ones in town having a power rating no greater than level two... at least on average. There was one orange mare and a red stallion she had assumed was the mare's mate who both managed to be at level three, but still nothing too exiting.
Even the novelty of such a wide variety of colors had worn off after about the first three hours, although strangely enough she had noticed two of the ponies that passed by her field of vision several times. One had been a unicorn with a picture of a harp on its rump, that one didn't seem to do anything other than try to catch its friend's attention as the regular pony seemed to pass a quick glance over in Paolina's direction every few seconds.
"... no... there's no way... can they sense energy?" the Saiyan wonders to herself as she continues to watch the pair with interest. The two of them seem to simply be taking a long walk before the unicorn lets an aura surround her horn and pull her friend towards what looks like a marketplace. Once her horn lit up the power reading on the unicorn spiked up a level, while it wasn't a very big spike it certainly had piqued the Saiyan's interest. "So... these unicorns actually suppress their power out of habit? That definitely requires a bit more inve-...oh?" She stopped mid-sentence as the scouter began to pick up a few more ponies approaching the town by some sort of sky-carriage. These ones had a bit more interest since their average battle level was five, although there was a one alongside the level six source. "Now that... may be worth looking into."
Twilight sighed as Spike read off her mentor's message, "Alright Spike, I get it... I'm happy that Celestia wants me to look over the preparations for the celebration but the fate of the world doesn't hang on me making friends." she snapped before sitting back in her seat and grumbling to herself.
Her friend, and number one assistant, a little purple dragon with emerald eyes to match his spines and belly, let out a sigh as he rolled his eyes at his violet caretaker's antics. "You get to stay in a neat tree house... isn't that something?" He goads to try and brighten the mood.
The violet unicorn's eyes light up as her mouth curls into a smirk. "Yes, in fact, I'm going to check on everything real quick so that I can get to that library and prove my findings right!" Her outburst had caused her little dragon charge to sigh again as he slumped in his seat. Once the chariot had landed and the pegusai that had been pulling it reared up with what she considered to be cute whinnies she quickly thanked them and turned towards the town. She stopped mid-step though as she felt her magic twitch in the direction of the huge and, admittedly, very creepy forest. Something out there was registering on her magical sense and despite learning a bit about the Everfree whatever caught her attention must have had a powerful magical signature. A tug on her raised hoof shook her to her senses.
"Come on Twilight, weren't you in a rush to check on everything?" Spike says with a slightly annoyed tone. Twilight gave a small nod as her eyes drifted back over to the forest trying to let her senses find the energy she had sensed earlier to no avail. Hesitantly Twilight followed her assistant into Ponyville.
Paolina let out a breath she had been holding, the unicorn that had gotten off of the carriage definitely could sense power, it was evident in the way the pony's eyes had snapped right to where the Saiyan was hiding. Had it not been for the timely distraction of whatever creature was with the pony Paolina would have certainly given her position away with the sudden power suppression. "That was a close one..." she sighed as she watched the pony enter the town. "I definitely have to keep an eye on her..." She looks at her surroundings only to notice the pegusai in the sky and all of the townsfolk. "...Sticking to the forest it is then..." She kept her pace fast as she weaved around the trees, trying to move quickly but without using too much ki to give away her position again. "...I should've sprung for the board..." She grumbled as she used her scouter to keep the two of them within tracking distance. She kept her breathing even as she skirted a large apple farm, she hummed a little as her attention turned to the rows upon rows of apple trees, every one of them brimming with beautiful, red apples. She licked her lips a little as she noticed that she could actually see her reflection in a few of them.
"...There's no way that they grow that polished..." She says in disbelief as she reaches up to grab one. She flinched as she heard someone shout.
"Ey! Git away from there ya varmint!" Turning sharply she noticed the orange pony from before with a lasso draped across her back. With a panicked yelp Paolina dashed off into the thick of the woods with the pony on her heels until she reached the edge of the forest. "An' don' let me catch ya back on my farm!" the pony shouts.
About thirty feet into the thick of the forest the Saiyan slid to a halt before she slapped her forehead with her palm. "Idiot... Why am I running? nothing here is anywhere near strong enough to actually hurt me..." With a sigh she turned around and began to walk back to the farm with a frustrated blush.
Applejack shook her head a little as she met back up with her brother.
"...Any trouble?" He asks in his deep baritone voice as he pulls a cart full of apples behind him.
"Nah, just one o' them varmints from th' Everfree tryin' to get our apples again." She dismissed with a wave of her hoof.
"Dangerous?"
She shakes her head. "Jus' had ta yell at it and the critter ran off, it was wearin' somethin' pretty strange though... don' know if it was fur or somethin' else." At her brother's curious look she waved a forehoof. "I'm jus' sayin' the thing mighta been one of those fancy ponies' pet that got loose and has jus' been livin' in the Everfree a while. It ran while I was still a good ten rows down so I didn't get a good look at it, darn thing was fast."
Her brother nods. "Guess I'm gonna have ta take the night rounds again..." He says as they walk towards where the rest of their large extended family was gathering.
"Don' be doin' it too long, fast critter like that might need Rainbow Dash ta catch it, or at least corner it."
Paolina was definitely in a sour mood after being chased off the farm by that orange mare, the fact that she heard her stomach growl when she had realized she hadn't eaten anything since leaving Zecora's hut didn't do anything to improve her mood as she watched the big family of the orange pony gather around the unicorn she had followed to the farm.
Still more to irk her had been the fact that the unicorn seemed to sense that she was there somewhere as the violet pony seemed to look around occasionally even though this time the unicorn couldn't get a lock on her position. "...stupid ponies and their cuteness... I just want to walk out there and pet one but with my luck they'll all get into a panic and the big ones would hurt themselves on me..." she mentally grumbled before noticing the violet unicorn and strange lizard companion get up to leave. It was risky, but to avoid detection by that orange pony she let her ki flow quickly as she seemed to vanish from her hiding spot to reappear a few seconds later by one of the nearest houses.
Twilight's ears twitched the entire time the Apple family was having her try each of their signature dishes, it was like a fly was hovering around her ears but no matter how many times they twitched she could still feel that same energy from earlier, not being able to locate it was starting to get on her nerves a little. "What if that's nightmare moon? Her magic is likely to be stronger than anypony's except for Celestia's if she's actually the Mare in the Moon..." Her eyes dart around the picnic area in worry as she tries to focus on where such powerful magic was coming from but nothing she did was able to pinpoint it. After several dishes she finally got up from the table and nearly felt the urge to lose everything she had just eaten. "ooh... I, uh... I think we need to get going, still lots of other parts of the celebration to check on." She says with a sweet smile before she picked Spike up in her magic and set him on her back.
"Come back any time ya hear! Always a great day to meet new friends." Applejack calls much to Twilight's irritation. Just as they left the farm though she felt it, a massive spike from that energy source she had detected earlier. She whipped to her right as she tried to get a glimpse of the spike before it had faded but she was too late, it had disappeared almost as soon as it arrived.
"Jeez Twilight... what's got you all jumpy?" Spike deadpans from the spot Twilight had unknowingly flung him when she turned.
Twilight's ears splay back as she winces. "Sorry Spike, but I just felt a tremendous amount of magic just a second ago... I'm worried it might be Nightmare moon's doing." At her assistant's dismissal of her claim she narrowed her eyes. "Spike! You saw the story too, a powerful magical signature has been following us since we got to Ponyville and I haven't been able to narrow down what's causing the spikes of power."
"Twilight... I think that story is making you paranoid... Come on, you've already made a friend... or possibly two if you count that pink pony that took off when you arrived..." He says as he picks himself up and dusts off. "What's next..." He says as he looks at the list he had. "...Clearing the clouds... Says here that it's Rainbow Dash who's supposed to be clearing them.
Twilight looks up into the cloud-filled sky before looking back at Spike, "Well... she's not doing a very good job of it..." She lets out a yelp of pain as something big and heavy crashes into her. As she lets out a groan of pain the pegasus that had crashed into her just seems to bounce up unfazed.
"Hehe... Sorry about that..." the cyan mare says as she hovers a few feet off the ground "I'll be right back..." She says quickly before zooming off only to bring back a black cloud and hovers it over the purple unicorn. Without missing a beat the prismatic-maned mare jumps up on the cloud and bounces on it like a miniature trampoline, causing it to rain like a fountain to drench the unicorn below until it was as white and fluffy-looking as the others. The cyan pony glances over the side and bites back a laugh as she gets a view of the drenched mare below her.
Paolina had an impressed look as she saw the rainbow-maned pony move so quickly, sure it wasn't the fastest thing she had seen, but for a level of only three she was definitely moving pretty fast. "She's an interesting one as well... but..." she chuckles a little as she watches the spectacle that was used to get the unicorn dry. The two seemed to share a small, if a little one-sided conversation before the rainbow-maned one literally kicked the clouds out of the sky. "Hm... Interesting way to use your ki..." Paolina muttered as the cyan pony said something to the violet one before flying away. There was something that the female Saiyan couldn't help but notice as she sneakily made her way from one building to the next, following the unicorn, there was a strange absence of ponies even though she had seen the place teeming with them not even an hour ago.
The streets were quiet, but the unicorn didn't seem to notice as she made her way to a large building that looked like a carousel taken straight from an amusement park... except it was quite a bit bigger. Once the unicorn went inside Paolina crept her way over to one of the front windows to see what was going on inside. The scene she came upon was definitely something that felt so surreal. The white unicorn that had a deep-purple mane that was set in a really fancy-looking curl, and had a tail to match, was talking excitedly to the violet unicorn before saying something that surprised, if not horrified, the violet one before she took off to look for something else deeper in the store. Paolina sank down a bit deeper in the bush she was hiding in as the violet unicorn took off down the road with a lovestruck lizard on her back. She shook her head a little as she tried to get a look inside the store again only to let out a yelp and fall backwards at the squished face of a pink pony that had ice-blue eyes which seemed to stare right at her soul. Out of reflex the Saiyan put two fingers to her head as she looked for Zecora's Ki, in seconds she vanished and reappeared inside the hut of the shaman, causing the zebra to jump in surprise and quickly steady the cauldron that she was working in.
"What has you so worried that you had hurried to my home?" Paolina was so much happier that she had taken the time to understand the way Zecora got her speech down.
"I... Sorry... reflex..." She pants as she gets up and holds her head. "I think I hit my head on a board though." Zecora lets out a small hum before going over to her many potions and offering one to Paolina.
Pinkie peeled herself away from the window of Carousel Boutique, her muzzle snapping against her face and jiggling like a rubber band. "I knew it! There was somepony else new in town besides Twilight!" She squeals with a smile that nearly reached from ear to ear. "RARITY! Come on! you've gotta get to the party!" She bounces over to the white mare and just seems to blur the world around them until the next thing that they both registered was the inside of the local library.
"D-darling? What in the-... where are we?" Rarity stumbles as she tries to regain her sense.
"Shh! It's a super-duper surprise for the new pony in town and Fluttershy is going to help keep her distracted until we can jump out and say our lines!" Pinkie says with her usual exuberance while dashing from one end of the library to the other just to make sure everything was perfect. Once she stops back over by Rarity though she stops bouncing. "Although... there's somepony else even newer in town than Twilight! So once we can get her to not be so shy around everyone we can throw her a big ol' party too!"
Rarity brushes a bit of dirt off of her coat from the sudden jarring experience that was called 'travelling with Pinky Pie' before she looked at her friend in confusion. "What do you mean Pinkie?"
"Well, there's been somepony who wasn't a pony that's been following Twilight since after I went to get the party all set up, but my Pinkie Sense told me somepony was being followed so I've been following some ponies around town trying to see if I could bump into who was following who. Once I started following Twilight my Pinkie sense told me I was on the right track because I got a small doozie."
"Oh my..." Rarity gasps as she covers her mouth with a hoof.
"I know!" Pinkie replies with a smile. "So after Twilight left your shop I looked out the window to see which way she went and then I saw that somepony who wasn't a pony because she had been following Twilight all day."
"Well what did she look like Pinkie?" Rarity asks as she preemptively takes a spot near the punch table.
"Well... she was really pink... and wore a lot of clothes... but I didn't get a good look before she touched her forehead and vanished... I think she's part unicorn."
Rarity let out a sigh since her friend hadn't gotten a good view of the creature's clothes. "Oh well, hopefully you'll find her again soon so that you can have her meet me, with an interest in clothing she must be wearing something very fashionable."
"I think I accidentally surprised her though... she kinda hit her head on your porch." Pinkie gave a sheepish smile as her fashionista friend shot her a small glare.
Paolina rubbed her head a little bit, happy that the potion had worked to dull the pain. With a curious look she noticed that nearly all of the town's inhabitants were gathered at some sort of house that was built as part of a tree. While the architecture was definitely interesting, it definitely wasn't something new, the part that interested her most though was that there was a source of energy giving off a level four aura. Among the normal populace of the town that was definitely above the norm, and it was moving fast, going from one house to the next almost as if using instant transmission to teleport before going back to the tree.
For some reason, the more she watched the aura move the more hungry she started to get. While having a quick dinner with Zecora had been nice, it hadn't even made a dent in her appetite. While it would be a detriment to her fighting ability, there wasn't anything so far that she had to take care of, so it was just making her more confused as to why the scroll of eternity had sent her here.
That pink pony though... she was a strange one, but at least so far she hadn't caused a panic among the townsfolk. She blinked a couple times as she noticed the level four power stop moving away from the tree as the violet pony, her lizard companion and a new pegasus were approaching the tree. "huh... Wonder why so many of those ponies are gathe-... oh yeah, celebration... Wouldn't they have it in a larger building though?" She slipped in-between the buildings as she tried to get closer without tipping off the unicorn. "Man... just as civilians though a couple are as strong as Yamcha when he was training at the lookout." She mutters. "Then again... Yamcha wasn't actually that strong... so that may be a bad comparison..."
She watched as the violet unicorn went into the tree home, only to hear a loud "SURPRISE!" after a short delay. The Saiyan turned off her scouter and sat down on a nearby bench, pulling out an apple that she had procured from that farm after she found out that those two ponies weren't there anymore. Fueled by a Saiyan appetite she quickly ate the whole thing core and all before trying to get a look at the party again, it was getting a bit difficult though as she felt her eyelids starting to droop as the night was drawing on. Paolina got up from her spot with a stretch and began to walk her way back to the forest just before ponies started filing out of the tree house. She turned as she heard the commotion heading towards a larger building near the marketplace and, against her better judgement, began walking towards it once all the townsfolk entered.
Paolina crouched near one of the windows so she could look in without getting spotted, There seemed to be a party in full swing and there even looked to be some of those level five guards keeping the place orderly just before the ochre pony with a grey mane seemed to announce something. The crowd inside quieted down as the curtains on an upper-balcony were pulled back to reveal an empty room, Paolina quickly turned her scouter on once the crowd started talking among themselves.
The Saiyan noticed the dark navy mist on the balcony first but it wasn't long before a member of the crowd had pointed it out, The mist solidified itself into the shape of a larger pony that had a horn and wings. Paolina tried to get her scouter to lock onto the creature but every time she tried it would only give her an error message before deactivating.
"...Aw, Crapbaskets..." she groans as the larger pony lets her power make the entire nearby area feel so much colder and flies away in a navy mist.
Episode 3:The Elements of Harmony
"Crap, Crap, Crap, Crap!" Paolina repeated over in her head as she tried to follow the mist, she immediately had taken to the air after it but it was already gaining ground faster than her, her own hunger wasn't doing anything to help. She growled as she lost the mist in the darkness of the night, sighing she turned around only to be face to face with the large pony from earlier who happened to be wearing a malicious smirk. Her catlike eyes narrowed as she grabbed the Saiyan in her magic.
"Silly little creature... so much power, but still nothing compared to mine..." She taunts before quickly pointing her horn to the ground, forcing Paolina to the dirt with enough force to make a crater a few feet deep. "Follow me and you shall die..." the pony laughs before heading to the Everfree.
Paolina let out a groan as her everything was starting to hurt, kinda like when she was fighting Beerus... She hadn't even sensed her get so close, Kinda like Beerus as well... It was at that moment that she started connecting the dots. "...she has god ki?" she groans as she slowly pulls herself up from the crater and starts to limp towards where that level six power went. "ooh... Ooh that hurt..." She groans as she stumbles along the streets, her entire outfit actually had small tears in it from the sheer strength of that larger pony's attack. "I... Hate... Gods..." She groans as she collapses on the ground in front of the treehouse.
Pinkie's ears twitched up as she gave Twilight the book she had found, a tingle in her right hindleg usually meant that somepony had fainted nearby! She bounced over to the door of the treehouse with a curious look before quickly opening the door.
Everypony's thoughts were immediately interrupted as Pinkie let out a shout. "Girls! I found somepony! Queen Meanie hurt her!" How she had managed to shout while she pulled the unconscious Saiyan onto her back was beyond their desire to keep their minds intact as they rushed over to see who Pinkie was talking about.
"Hey! That's the critter I chased off my farm!" Applejack exclaims as Twilight helps move the unconscious creature to the couch.
"W-what is it?" Twilight asks as she looks over to Fluttershy, the timid pegasus only manages a shrug in return.
All of them look on in confusion as Pinkie makes them take a few steps back. "Good Heavens, what happened to its ensemble!" Rarity says as she starts looking over the damaged uniform. They step back again, except for Fluttershy, who hides behind Twilight, as they hear the creature groan.
"Oh... I'm so going to deck her in the nose..." Paolina grumbles as she starts to sit up. "Wow... it's been a while since the last time I passed out..." She blinks a couple times. "But I don't remember passing out on a couch..." Her head turns to notice the ponies that are giving her wary looks. "Ah! That's why... I got here just in time then." She grunts a little as she starts to get off the couch, in response the orange pony and the cyan one stand between her and the rest of them looking like they're getting ready to fight.
She lets out a small chuckle as she looks between the two of them, "You two should trust me, everything you both have combined isn't enough to hurt me... that bigger pony on the other hand... You guys are gonna need help."
"What do you know about Nightmare Moon!?" The Cyan one accuses as she gets in Paolina's face. "Are you a spy too?"
"Dash! We jus' went through this with Twilight, I don't think she'd have come here and fallen at Twilight's doorstep if she was on that monster's side." Applejack deadpans.
Twilight slowly walks up to the Saiyan. "What are you?" she asks quietly.
Paolina facepalms again. "I think we're kinda missing a really important event here, I can explain later but right now we need to find a way to beat that big pony that simply tossed me through the ground."
Twilight's ears perk as her head tilts a little in confusion. "How does that work?"
"Very.. easily..." Paolina deadpans. "Anyway, less talking, more problem solving, any ideas on how to beat her?"
Twilight gives a nervous glance to the rest of them. "Well... The Elements of Harmony are the only recorded artifacts that have beaten her."
"And where are they?" Rainbow Dash asked, prompting Twilight to grimace a little.
"...The Everfree Forest, in the old Castle of the Pony Sisters." She says before straightening up.
Paolina claps her hands together. "Oh, good! I almost thought we'd have to scour the world for a few months to find them, welp, let's get going." As she's about to leave Twilight steps between her and the door.
"No, you're already hurt, I can't have you risk your life in the Everfree..."
"I'm actually gonna have to agree with Twilight on this, Considerin' what we're fightin' and how quickly she beat you..."
The Saiyan gives them a slight glare. "That's because her power is leagues above my own, she's actually infused with Godly Ki!" Her frustration nearly had her simply walk out the door by pushing them aside. "Everything out in that forest can't hold a candle to my ability, alright, I'm fine, I was just a bit concussed from the sudden drop when she used me to make a new crater for your-... Oh... I feel dumb now..." She pushes Applejack and Twilight aside as she pulls her capsule case from her jacket. "Forgot I had senzu beans..."
"Jus' where are you goin!? Y'all are already hurt!" Applejack says as she tries to pull what feels like a moving wall back inside, digging her hooves into the ground.
"Either come with me or tell me where these Elements are so that I can use them against that pony..." Paolina growls as she pulls her jacket sleeve out of Applejack's grasp. "She got the drop on me because I wasn't expecting to fight such a strong opponent here..." The Saiyan starts to smile as she immediately starts planning for her next encounter. "...All it's doing is getting me excited."
Twilight lets out a sigh as she walks up to the taller person, "You're not going anywhere... I'm going..."
"And her friends are too!" Rainbow dash adds, getting Twilight to nod
"...And my frie-... wait, what?" She blusters as she looks at the prismatic mare.
"Come on, you didn't think we were going to let you go into that forest alone, did you? Ponies get eaten when they go in there on their own." Dash replies as she hovers above the unicorn.
"And you're not stopping me from going either, none of you has the smallest hint of a chance to make me stay." Paolina replies. "I'm going with you, and that's final."
Twilight lets out a frustrated sigh. "You should still get to a hospital!"
"I have senzu beans, I'll be fine."
"Uh... What's a sensu bean?" Applejack asks as they start walking towards the looming forest. "That's not a plant I've ever heard of."
Paolina let out another sigh. "Once again, explanation later, action now." She says as she picks up her pace towards the Everfree.
Rainbow Dash hovers next to Applejack as the Saiyan starts putting distance between them. "...I think she's working for Nightmare Moon..."
"...Dash..." Applejack sighs.
"No, hear me out on this one... She appears out of nowhere, The same way Nightmare Moon does, faints at the doorstep of the library, and then gets up just to act like nothing happened... and now she's just powerwalking ahead like she's on her way to meet up with her master."
Applejack rolls her eyes. "I don't know what you really do up in them clouds all day, but I think you've deprived yerself of a bit of oxygen."
"Come on Applejack! You know that I'm right..." Rainbow Dash groans. "...She shows up out of nowhere, acted like she was hurt, and then wants us to take her to those 'elements of harmony' so that she can destroy them!"
Applejack gives her a level look as they enter the forest. "Dash, I'd rather let evidence speak for itself, since we have ta head to where these elements are anyway."
The group manages to travel in relative silence for quite a while as they venture through the forest, even most of the native creatures Paolina had encountered were keeping their distance. Whether it was out of fear or some other reason it still gave the Saiyan the chills as she tried to keep her mind open and her senses ready in case that 'Nightmare Moon' pony was to show up again. If the others were lucky, Nightmare Moon would probably simply gloat at them about their futile quest and leave... but lots of god-strength beings didn't quite work like that.
She let out a small breath as Rarity began to say something about the way the forest looked. "Honestly, I don't see what all the fuss is about, forests on earth work this way as well and you don't see humans freaking out over it." Once the fashionista let out a scream Paolina whipped around and started searching for their attacker. The resulting scene... was less than expected.
Five of the ponies who had come with her were now screaming in terror at what they thought were monsters in the tree bark, the sixth one happened to be laughing. Paolina let out another sigh as her palm met her forehead for what felt like the millionth time. "...I swear, they're like children..." She groans in irritation.
"All the more reason not to fear them..."
"Yeah, I mean... they don't even stand a chance against... Nightmare... Moon?" She hesitates as she gets to the end so that she could turn to the voice that had spoken up and staring her right in the face, not more than three feet away, was the very entity she had to fight. In a moment of sheer brilliance and unchallenged courage she had but one thing to say. "...not the face..."
Alas, to her great disappointment the alicorn simply chuckled. "No promises." she cackled before her hoof caught the Saiyan right in the stomach with enough force to send her flying past the group of ponies that had just gotten finished with a musical number.
She hadn't bothered to count just how many trees she went through, it was certainly enough though to make her want to re-think her policy on not destroying the forest just because it was in her way. Gasping for air she slowly managed to get to her feet as the ponies galloped over.
"Oh my gosh! Are you okay?" Twilight asks in a panic as she skids to a halt.
Fluttershy stops quite a few feet away as she gets a much larger feeling of dread emanating from their injured... ally, that was probably the word she should use; ally.
Paolina's eyes were dangerously narrowed as she got to her feet. She quickly pulled out the capsule that contained the senzu essence and activated it, making a blue mist appear around her body and heal her completely. "I am not okay... I am absolutely livid..." She growls before turning her attention to Twilight. "Location of the castle, How far and in which direction?"
All of the ponies take a few steps back as they feel the air around them get heavier. Twilight points in an east-ish direction, "T-two miles that way, why?" She asks with a shaky voice.
"Because Nightmare moon is about to learn why you don't piss off a Saiyan." Paolina responds as she brings a fist up in front of her. With a quick downward thrust a burst of energy threatens to knock all the ponies off of their hooves as the Girl's hair color changes from brown to gold and she gets surrounded in a fiery-yellow aura. Her knees bend slightly before she leaps off of the ground with enough force to leave cracks behind and speeds off towards the castle where it was very likely her opponent would be.
"D-did y'all feel that...?" Applejack stutters as she watches the golden-yellow trail of the woman they had been traveling with start to fade.
"Her magic... But... she... She's not a unicorn, she shouldn't have magic like that!?" Twilight blusters in shock. "There's no way that's possible!"
Fluttershy was shaking so hard that even Rainbow dash had to help Rarity try to calm the mare down. "That... She... I don't care about the magic! How was she flying so fast!?" Rainbow dash shouts. "She doesn't even have wings!"
Even Pinkie was standing still as she watched the trail fade. "Wow... She was mad... She was so mad she got set on fire..."
"Twilight, dear... I think it may be a good idea to go to the castle quite soon, we don't exactly want... whatever that thing is... to destroy the elements..." Rarity prods.
Paolina stopped in the air just above what appeared to be a ruined castle. sure enough though, her opponent was in the air already waiting for her.
"Ah, so you're finally taking this seriously..." Nightmare moon chuckles. "I hope you don't mind but I can't exactly focus all of my attention on you, as much as you would rather blind me to other such events."
The Saiyan growled again before letting more of her power flow, making the world seem to slow down as the Alicorn rushed at her. At her full strength she was finally able to get a decent read on how much power her opponent was using, and it was significantly less than what she had been not even five minutes ago. It still wasn't enough for her to land a hit on the stupid pony, but neither was it giving her opponent the opportunity to find an opening in her own defenses.
Both combatants were a blur on the battlefield, the sky above the castle, every punch that felt like it was at regular speed for the two battlers lasted only a second as they bounced around the sky and their energies collided. It took every ounce of rage and concentration that she could spare just to keep the larger pony from being able to get through her defenses, there wasn't even an opportunity to hit since they were both moving too fast to be able to score any significant damage to each other.
Paolina let out a gasp as a metal-clad hoof met her stomach again and sent her rocketing toward the treeline, within seconds the only sounds she heard was the snapping of thick, likely several-hundred year old, tree trunks as she was sent through them like they were made of paper mache. When she finally stopped skidding she got to one knee and braced herself just before another hoof collided with her crossed forearms. She bit her lip as pain shot through her arms and her entire aura changed from the fiery gold back to a weaker blue, the force of the blow had broken through her defenses and she found herself encased in the mare's magic again, struggling to breathe against the immense pressure.
She actually sounded disappointed. "Well, it was entertaining watching you try to fight me but it seems I wasted too much time toying with you... I have to go destroy those ponies who seek to use the Elements Of Harmony against me." With yet another hoof to the gut she dropped Paolina to the ground, gasping for air like it was going out of style. Nightmare Moon lets out another cackle before her form shifts into a mist and speeds off to the castle.
Wheezing and coughing up blood Paolina's vision began to fade, the world started getting colder, before she knew it there was a new kind of warmth that was like standing in front of a coal stove on a snowy day. As feeling began returning to her limbs she looked around, the place she was in looked so strange, it was like the Room of Space and Time... but it was also a sea of more color than just seas of white and blue.
"You must be quick, Saiyan..." Comes a motherly voice, one full of warmth but also full of impatience. "There is little time before the one you have been fighting reaches the new Bearers of the Elements of Harmony, I will grant you my power... Be warned though, it will only last for a short time since it is a strength not accustomed to you. It should help distract Nightmare Moon long enough for the Bearers to use the Elements on her."
Paolina looks around in confusion. "Who are you? What power?"
"All will be revealed soon, but you must act quickly..." The voice responds, the entire world seemed to fade as Paolina began to see the forest she had been left to die in.
Not even a moment later her senses began to be overwhelmed as she felt that she had simply walked into the sun, her entire body began feeling incredibly hot as her latent power was flowing as if on overdrive. When her power finally stopped flowing out she noticed that the entire world looked like it had stopped in time, no... it was only moving really slowly. She put her index and middle finger to her forehead as she noticed the other incredible source of Ki that matched her own, she vanished from the ruins of several trees, leaving behind a dead-silent forest.
Twilight and her friends were struggling just to breathe, she hadn't even sensed the evil creature arrive until it was too late... Nightmare moon had simply swooped in and shattered the Elements of Harmony right in front of them as if the artifacts had been just a tall tale. Tears streamed down her face as she thought about how she had inadvertently led five ponies to their deaths at the hooves of one of the strongest monsters in history.
Nightmare Moon let out a laugh as she watched each of them struggle to get up, not even a flick of her hooves and each one went down like an annoying fly to a flyswatter. "You truly thought that you had the power to defeat me? Not even your Saiyan friend was able to scratch me, let alone truly hurt me." This caused Twilight to look up at the Alicorn that was taunting her. "Oh yes, she's probably bleeding out somewhere in this wretched forest right about now." she chuckles before putting her hoof under Twilight's chin to make the unicorn look into her eyes.
A new presence immediately caught the Alicorn's attention, there was something so familiar about it... but wildly different at the same time. She didn't have to wait long to find out what it was though, within a few seconds it had moved from where it had been just to materialize behind her. She spun quickly, dropping the unicorn as she looked with slightly-widened eyes at the Saiyan she thought she had left for dead in the woods.
Her hair had changed from brown to a tri-color pastel of pink, green and teal. It even had a matching aura and was flowing like an ethereal fire. "You should have stopped being a villain..." Paolina growls before she rockets up to Nightmare Moon, punching the mare so hard that she gets sent through the wall of the chamber and outside into the forest. Without missing a beat the Saiyan flies after her, leaving the group of mares to gather their senses as they all get up.
Twilight is the first to regain her sense as she looks out of the hole Nightmare moon had been sent through. "G-girls... Was that... Celestia?" She says with a slight stutter as she tries to comprehend the familiar energy.
Rainbow Dash struggles to her hooves before limping over to Twilight. "Twi... Hate to break it to ya, but the creature that punched Nightmare Moon... was that thing we met earlier..."
"B-but... that's impossible! That was Princess Celestia's magical energy signature!" Twilight sits down with a dumbfounded look before looking over to the shattered spheres that were once the Elements of Harmony. "And now we don't even have the Elements as a defense..."
Applejack walked up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Twilight... I don't care how strong that big mare thinks she is, I ain't goin' down without a fight."
"Yeah! Me neither!" Rainbow Dash chimes in.
"We'll find a way out of this! Cause I have a party to plan for that Saiyan!" Pinkie cheers.
Rarity nods as she trots over. "Applejack's right darling, we'll be here alongside you no matter what." Without even realizing it, Fluttershy had made her way to Twilight's side, giving her a reassuring smile.
Twilight looks around at the ponies she had been journeying with and her gaze lingers on each one as she feels a sudden clarity.
Nightmare scowled at her opponent, simultaneously feeling anger and fear at the same time. "How did you get that power?!" she shouts as she rushed at Paolina again. The Saiyan was at least managing to keep up with her own speed, the ethereal mane from Celestia though, that was showing the source of her opponent's new powers.
Paolina remained silent as she was constantly looking for an opening, Not even a minute had gone by and she was already feeling the new power starting to fade. She grit her teeth as hit after hit was easily blocked by her equine opponent. "She's a pony! There shouldn't be any way she could block this easily at this speed!"
Both fighters were moving so fast that they were little more than blurs across the forest, energy coming from their battle was rocking trees all over the forest, shaking leaves off of the branches. All of the native creatures of the forest hid in their dens, not even the vicious hunter; The Timberwolf, stayed out in the open as spider-webbing cracks appeared on the ground each time both fighters met in the air.
"Fine! It doesn't matter how you came across the power! I will still kill you!" Nighmare Moon shouts as her horn lights up with a suffocating darkness.
Paolina's eyes widen a bit before she brings her hands back as a reaction. A harsh, red light begins to build up in response, the air around them crackles with energy before either attack has been fired.
Nightmare Moon lets her blast soar towards the sun-strength Saiyan. "Lunar Destruction Wave!" The temperature began to drop rapidly as the dark beam shot through the sky.
"Kamehameha... Times Ten!" Paolina shouts in response as she thrusts her hands forward to let a crimson beam meet the dark blue one in the middle of the sky. Lightning arced all across the forest as a rainbow of light radiated from the sphere that was created where both beams met, The noise of the impact was deafening as the energy threatened to rip the whole forest apart.
Paolina's beam faded at the same time as Nightmare Moon's, leaving the sphere of impact to collapse in on itself before exploding outward in a shockwave of energy, sending both of them flying away from the explosion before each one recovered.
Nightmare Moon was the first to recover and quickly noticed as her opponent's aura faded away, leaving no more sun energy to counter her own. Moving faster than the speed of sound she was almost instantly upon the weakened Saiyan just as she recovered, letting out an ecstatic laugh as she watched the Saiyan's eyes shrink in realization.
"Oh... Crapbaskets..." Was all she managed to get out before a metal-clad hoof caught her in the jaw and sent her back towards the castle with an angry goddess in close pursuit.
Paolina crashed through the wall of the castle into the floor of the chamber that Twilight and her friends were still in, she let out a groan as she tried to get up before Nightmare Moon's hoof kept her pinned to the ground. "I don't know how such a creature like you arrived here... but this is where you will die..." She smirked, only to scowl a few seconds later as the Saiyan beneath her began to laugh.
"I'll train with Goku in Otherworld until I can come back and beat the hell out of you anyway..." the Saiyan chuckled as she coughed up a bit of blood, only seeming to anger the Alicorn further. "...Although... I might not need to..." She smirks as the Alicorn looks at her in confusion before looking towards the source of prismatic light just before it washes over both of them.
Twilight pants hard alongside her new friends as the light clears, trying to focus her eyes and see what just happened now that the Elements finished their blast.
"Oh my! It's beautiful..." Fluttershy says softly as Rarity notices her tail again in one piece.
Twilight lets out a small giggle before her friends start noting their necklaces, she even takes a look at the tiara she received before sensing two pretty-high magical sources.
Laying in the cracked floor is the bloody, cut body of Paolina. Not even five feet away is the smaller form of an alicorn mare in the remains of Nightmare Moon's armor. With a slight groan Paolina looks over to Twilight and smiles before giving her a thumbs up... After which she passes out, causing Twilight to rush over in alarm.
A flash of warm light stopped them and forced the azure filly on the floor to wince at the intensity, as it cleared Twilight's expression grew into a large smile as she rushed over to her mentor. "Celestia!" She exclaimed just before nuzzling up to the larger mare. "What happened to you?" she continues with concern.
The marble-colored mare gave the violet unicorn a small, motherly smile as she embraced her student. "I am fine Twilight... All shall be explained soon." She directs her attention towards the other five mares. "I see you have made some friends during your stay in Ponyville." She states, causing Twilight to smile and blush as she trotted back over to her friends only to stop mid-way before remembering what she had been doing.
"Oh! the... Saiyan?" She asks hesitantly as she looks over to the warrior's unconscious form.
"She needs medical attention, and I shall see to it that she has stabilized..." Celestia says as she lights up her horn to encase the Saiyan in a golden-yellow glow. She begins trotting over to the filly who had just barely struggled to her hooves. "Another has been denied the embrace of friendship for far too long..." The white Alicorn states as she looks down at the light Navy filly. "Luna... are you alright...?" She asks quietly.
The filly hesitates only for a few seconds before hugging the larger mare in a tear-filled hug. "I missed you so much sister..." she sobs as she holds Celestia like she would disappear at any moment.
With a teary smile of her own Celestia wraps her wings around Luna, "I missed you as well Little Sister..." she coos as they share a few quiet moments between them. Once Celestia lets her embrace leave the filly she lets her horn glow again, in a flash the entire group is outside of the Ponyville hospital. Celestia points her horn toward the horizon and has the sun peek itself over the horizon. "I'll have to raise the sun a little earlier for a week or so in order to get calendars back on track, but it is definitely worth having my sister back." She says quietly as the group steps into the hospital with the Saiyan floating not too far behind in a golden aura.
Paolina blinks a few times as her eyes start to adjust to the interior of the hospital room. "Oh... that's good... At least I'm not dead..." She chuckles. "hehe... ow... hehe, ow... hehe, ow..." she winces with each chuckle as it feels like she had been crushed under an asteroid. "Oh yeah... I got crushed by a god... that makes sense then..." she slowly looks around the room to try and get her bearings. Each movement has her body protest against the use of even that small amount of energy, she simply grits her teeth a little and lets out tiny groans as she looks around the room. "ok... pony anatomy charts... pony-... well... pony everything... even the hospital bed just barely fits me..." she lets out a slow breath and looks back up at the ceiling before closing her eyes and beginning a small trick she had learned from Whis.
Episode 4:Speaking With Gods
Paolina regained her sense in a realm that looked very similar to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from Kami's Lookout, she took a deep breath as she began to mentally picture Whis.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a small hum, "Oh, Paolina... what brings you here today?" The blue-skinned humanoid asks lightly. "I haven't seen you in quite some time, how are you?"
Paolina gives him a small smile and a hug before backing up and bowing a little. "Well... right now my physical body is in a hospital on a different plane so I thought I should visit you and Beerus-sensei..." she explains as they begin walking through a large park-area.
"Ah! I thought as much since I couldn't feel nearly as much energy from you. Do tell, what caused you to be hospitalized this time?"
"Well... I fought someone who had the strength of a god..." Paolina replies with a sheepish smile. "I had a bit of help, but I think my ribs got cracked in several places since I couldn't really feel too much of the pain."
Whis gave a small nod. "I do hope you kept some of those senzu beans with you so that you could make a full recovery..."
"Actually, I'm a little worried that my entire capsule case was destroyed in the fight..."
"Oh, that's definitely something that you should look into, I believe your friend Trunks may be able to help with that though. So why come here?" Whis asked as they both took seats by a pond that hadn't been there a minute ago.
"Well, I wanted something to do while I was recovering, and this was the first thing that came to mind." Paolina answers with a smile as she looks over the pond.
"I'm touched that you would think of Lord Beerus and I first when you wanted someone to speak with, although Lord Beerus is napping at the moment." Whis says as he opens a box of sushi. "Would you like a piece? I've been working on a recipe for sushi as well as watching how your earth-chefs prepare it. I've enjoyed trying to make my own."
The Saiyan gives a broad smile. "I'd be happy to try it Master Whis..." She says as he passes her a pair of chopsticks. "you've certainly gotten better at it since you met Bulma." Paolina chuckles before taking one of the round sushi rolls.
"Yes, I've grown particularly fond of the Makizushi, it's interesting just how appetizing they can be on their own too."
Soon enough he gives her a box of her own as they start savoring his recipe for sushi. "You've gotten really good Master Whis." Paolina complimented as she continued eating box after box of sushi. "Oh... I've been practically starving since I got to Equestria... Not a lot to eat there that doesn't already have the ability to hold a conversation with you."
Whis gives her an interested look. "Really? how so?"
"Well, I noticed that while they do keep pigs, they don't use them for pork or ham, at least... not in Equestria, but I haven't had the chance to..." Their attention directs above the pond as a swirling navy portal opens to let a timid light-navy filly step out as if the air was solid.
"Oh my, who are you?" Whis asks as he sets his sushi off to the side.
The filly winces a little. "We a-... no... I'm sorry... I didn't know where this dream went to and I was a tad curious..." She squeaks as she lands on the bank of the pond.
"Well, it's not quite a dream..." Paolina says as she gets up with her box of sushi, "more like... astral projection to another universe."
The filly straightens up and her eyes widen in curiosity. "Really!? you're in another universe?"
Whis gives out a small chuckle as he stands up. "You are as well little one, you are in the domain of Lord Beerus." The filly's eyes widen as he says that and she starts shaking like a leaf on a windy day.
"B-B-B-Beerus?" She stutters before lighting up her horn. "Oh no..." She whispers before casting a spell to disappear.
"Hm... Well, I can't expect everyone to act like you do around him." Whis muses as he looks to Paolina. "I believe I have kept your attention for quite long enough, I may visit you if I come up with a new recipe." The Saiyan nods and closes her eyes as her senses pick up the feeling of being bandaged once again.
She blinks once as she stares up at the ceiling. "Welp... bored time again..." she sighs.
Celestia let out a hum as she finished hearing her sister's information. "Friends with Lord Beerus... That's definitely not a piece of information I was expecting."
"What are we to do sister? What if Lord Beerus wakes up and attacks Equus...?" Luna asks in a slight panic.
It takes a few seconds before Celestia responds. "Based on the evidence we currently have... there is nothing to say that this Saiyan wishes ill upon our world or she would have joined Nightmare Moon in her conquest..." She purses her lips as Luna winces at the name. "Luna... dear sister, you will have to come to terms with what happened at some point... maybe not now... but we shall talk about it. For now we must focus on the situation at hoof." She looks in the direction of the hospital and listens in on the room despite the celebration going on around the two. "I believe we may be speaking with her soon..."
Luna gives her sister a small nod and looks back over the small lake of ponies surrounding them both. It felt nice for once to have ponies enjoying her being there... or at least not shunning her while giving all of their praises to her sister. She leaned a little closer to her sister, who wrapped a warm wing around her out of reflex as the larger mare began to announce that they would be leaving for Canterlot shortly after finishing their business in Ponyville.
Twilight was sitting in the waiting room reading one of the books she had decided to bring with her to read while she waited, a small set of panniers with some notepaper, quills and several sealed inkpots rested on a nearby seat so that she had something to take her notes on.
Rainbow dash was hovering in the air near an exited Pinkie Pie and much less-enthusiastic Fluttershy. "Did you see how fast she moved!? Obviously not as fast as me, but still... she was getting some impressive speed... you know, for somepony not as fast as me to be impressed by." She seemed to be pouting and excited at the same time, still trying to figure out which one to settle on.
Pinkie was bouncing in her seat. "I can't wait to throw her a party and welcome her to Ponyville! She'll be so happy here!" She squeals as she pulls out a big box just to open the lid and start rummaging through it, tossing out fireworks... streamers... bags of balloons... at least, until one of the nurse's aides cleared her throat near the energetic pink pony.
"Miss Pie, how many times have we told you to keep that box out of this facility? there are various patients who could get hurt if even one of the items in there gets put in the wrong place." The mint-green earth pony mare says with a small glare, causing the party pony to let out a sheepish giggle as everything was quickly put back and she simply seemed to kick the box to a place she seemed to only refer to as 'off-screen'.
Fluttershy looks over to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie nervously. "I... I don't want to meet her..." she squeaks just above a whisper.
Pinkie looks at her in confusion. "Why wouldn't you want to talk to the Saiyan who saved our lives?" She asks as she stands next to her shy friend and pulls her into a tight hug. "I mean... without her Queen Meanie would have been the end of our awesometastic adventure..."
"I... I know... but... When she got all mad like that... there's just something about her that I don't feel comfortable near..." Fluttershy responds quietly.
Rarity trots over with an understanding smile. "It's alright if you'd rather not be here Fluttershy, you can go home if you want."
The buttercream pegasus shakes her head. "I don't want... to leave my friends." She says before seeming to take a nervous gulp of air. Not even a few seconds later the doors leading to the waiting room opened up to reveal Princess Celestia and the newly-recovered lunar princess; Luna. Luna has a shy smile as she hovers close to Celestia as if the larger mare were her mother.
Twilight almost immediately closes her book, after putting a proper bookmark in of course, and leaps up to greet her mentor. "Hello Princess!" She gives her mentor a wide smile before gesturing to her note-taking supplies. "I didn't know how much I would need so I brought a few notebooks and plenty of ink!"
Celestia gives a warm chuckle. "that's good Twilight, you all may have much to learn from this Saiyan in particular." Twilight gives her an odd look.
"Actually Princess... What is a Saiyan... I heard you and..." She hesitates as she notices Luna. After the filly bites her lip and rolls her hoof in a 'go on' motion she continues. "...Nightmare moon said that name. What is a Saiyan?"
Celestia actually lets her smile fall a little. "Twilight... What would you do if I let you know that not only are we not alone in the universe, but there are teeming millions of species that have capabilities far removed from our own?"
Twilight paused as she began to think over her mentor's question, she also became aware that they had the attention of every pony in the room. After a few quiet seconds she finally looks back up at her mentor with a small smile. "I'd say that I'd have to grab more notepaper..." The answer brought the ancient diarch's smile back nearly in double force.
"That's an exceptional answer my Faithful Student, While my sister and I are familiar with the Saiyan race, I believe that the one in the hospital room would rather explain on her own so that nopony tarnished her reputation before she had the chance to." Celestia looked over to one of the nurses who just entered the room. "How long until she is awake?"
The mint mare who had spoken to Pinkie suddenly felt herself tripping over her words a little. "She's actually... uh... she's been awake for the past ten minutes..."
The white alicorn nodded with a small smile. "my, how quickly they can recover from near-death..." Aside from Luna all of the ponies in the room give her a confused look before she raises a hoof to preemptively stop any questions. "You'll be able to see for yourselves soon enough." She looks over to the nurse. "May we see her?" she asks gently before the nurse gives her a nod and gestures for them all to follow her. The walk to the Saiyan's recovery room was pretty quiet, only the sound of hooves clicking on tile could be heard which caused the nurse to cast a few nervous glances back at Pinkie Pie who simply waved happily at her each time. The nurse pauses a little as she gets to the patient's room before opening the door.
"She's right in here, do try to keep the noise to a dull roar and for the love of the sun Pinkie don't set off any fireworks like you did last time." Pinkie gives the nurse a big smile before bouncing into the room.
"Pinkie... why would you use fireworks in a hospital?" Twilight asked her as she seemed stunned by the idea.
Pinkie rolled her eyes in response. "It wasn't a big firework, just something that made pretty lights for one of the foals, he even liked it too... until it caught my mane on fire, then he was worried." She shrugged before Celestia slid the curtain back to reveal the heavily bandaged form of their hero. "Oh wow..." Pinkie says in amazement. "...you don't look like you should be awake if you got hurt this badly." She takes a few curious steps around the bed as the Saiyan gives a chuckle.
"Well, I am part of a race that's got a nasty habit of not dying when someone tries to kill us." Paolina explains with a small smile before noticing the ki from the violet unicorn pick up a pad of paper, quill and ink so that she could start writing. "Judging by all that paper... I'm guessing I have quite a few questions to answer..." Twilight gives her a wide smile and readies her paper as Paolina lets out a small sigh. "Alright, but one question at a time, though you're not going to hog them all..." That caused Twilight to deflate a little and got a few chuckles out of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, though the violet unicorn quickly smirked as she realized that her new friends could still ask questions that she could take notes on. Paolina lets out another small breath before looking over the group. "Alright, who wants the first question?" She asks, making Twilight smile and raise her hoof. "...shouldn't have expected otherwise..." The Saiyan mumbles before smiling at the unicorn. "Alrighty then, you first Twilight."
Twilight hesitates for a few seconds, trying to remember when she had told the Saiyan her name, before she shakes her head and smiles. "What is a Saiyan?"
"Oh wow... first time I've actually had to explain this one..." Paolina says with slight surprise. "Quick question on my end first then; are any of you familiar with the theory that multiple universes exist?" It got a few nods from Celestia, Luna and Twilight, although the other five seemed lost. "Okay... small science lesson first then..." She smiled as Rainbow Dash gave out a sigh. "Don't worry, it should be easy enough for even you to understand." Paolina chuckled.
It took a few seconds before Rainbow Dash shot back into the air. "Did you just call me stupid?" the cyan mare accused.
The Saiyan simply smiles. "Nope, I only said it would be easy to understand, and now that I have your attention the lesson can begin." She shifted a little on the bed to get more comfortable. "Think of the timeline of the world like a tree... The main timeline is the trunk and every time you have a choice to make a new branch is created... it's the exact same world, except for that one choice."
Pinkie let out a small gasp. "Oh! So, whenever you make a choice you make a new world?"
Paolina gave her a nod. "Yep... and it's my job, along with several others to help make sure the regular timeline works as it should..."
"But... if you work with time stuff like that... why are you still here?" Pinkie asked.
"Well... I don't know..."
A new voice answered them. "I can actually help explain that one..." Trunks said as he pulled back one of the curtains.
Author's Note
Well... this time I don't know what to put in the author's notes, so for now, I'll just say leave any questions you have in the comments and I'd be happy to get to them!
Episode 5: Life In Equestria
Trunks smiled a little as he waved to the ponies gathered in the room. "Hello everyone." He says quietly as he takes a seat nearby. Paolina gives him a confused look as she tries to sit up, only to have the purple-haired boy stop her from sitting up as he holds a small green bean out to her. She nods a little and takes the bean, chewing on it slowly while using one of her less-bruised hands in a 'go on' motion. "I have a bit of mixed news Paolina..." He takes a small breath as she sighs, swallowing the bean. "The good news is that you kept what we saw from happening..."
Paolina nods a little as she quickly gets up from the bed, drawing a few alarmed looks at her "...I'm gonna guess that there's bad news to go with it..."
Trunks lets out a small sigh. "Unfortunately, yes... Whoever decided to mess with the timeline still managed to succeed, the timeline has been permanently changed and now you're a resident of this universe until the Time Scroll decides to bring you back to Tokitoki..." He pulls a case out of his jacket. "I did get you some things though, since it looked like your battle had destroyed your original case."
Paolina crosses her arms across her chest. "Yeah... I can't wait to fight like that again!" she says excitedly before looking over to Luna, "Make sure you keep training, because I want a rematch someday." The filly gave her a confused look as every pony except Celestia had been stunned by the challenge in that statement. She looked back over to Trunks as he cleared his throat and she let out a giggle when she noticed his blush.
"you would not believe what the cashier-bots said to me when I got you this stuff..." He grumbled. "There's a few changes of clothes in there, a few battle suits and a formal suit of your preferred design." He passes her a green capsule, "The clothes are in here, the rest is in the case..." She clicked the button on top of the capsule before putting it on the bed to reveal several folded sets of clothes, Trunks turned away and pointedly walked behind one of the curtains as she undid the ties for the hospital gown she was already in.
Fluttershy quietly trotted over to him before timidly poking his arm. "Um... excuse me..." she whispered, managing to get his attention. "Um... I was wondering... if you don't mind... what... what is that thing that she does where her mane turns yellow..."
Trunks smiles. "In a way, it's a special transformation that increases the strength of the individual..."
Twilight's ear twitched as her quill started writing while she was listening in on Fluttershy and Trunks. "Oh... okay, that does make sense... once her hair turned yellow she was so very..." The timid mare seemed to be fumbling for a word to use.
"...Powerful?" Trunks suggested, getting the yellow mare to shake her head slowly.
"No, terrifying... I... I could feel how angry she was..."
Trunks nods a little, rubbing the back of his head as his blush fades. "Yeah, within the Saiyan race, or anyone who shares a Saiyan bloodline, if you're powerful enough and had an event that pushed your anger to what seemed like the limit, there was a way to unlock even more power than was normally capable... at least, that's what it seemed until Goten and an alternate me were born." He chuckles and gently strokes her mane, something that gets a startled squeak out of her at first before she hummed as she practically melted at his touch. "But that's a story that I can't stay to tell... suffice to say, the world I'm from is actually a lot different from the universe that Paolina is from, so some things may be a bit different." He quickly gets up and peeks around the corner of the curtain to see that his Saiyan friend is in her light blue jumpsuit.
"I almost forgot about your culture's nudity taboos Trunks... man... it's a bit weird when you think about it... then again, aside from the armor that those two are wearing..." Paolina says as she smirks at the purple-haired youth and points at the two princesses. "...They're all technically nude..." She starts to laugh once his blush returns and he makes an effort to stare only at the floor.
"Well, I have to go, see you later Lina..." Trunks says just before his body glows and what looks like oversized clock gears pulse around his body just before he disappears.
"I love teasing him..." The Saiyan chuckles as she finishes putting on her boots, gloves and chest piece. She let out a happy sigh as she looked over the overall design. "A little large on the shoulder pauldrons... but I like the design..." She smiles as she puts the rest of the clothes back in their capsule.
Twilight cleared her throat a little impatiently, turning the Saiyan's attention to her. "Oh yeah... well... Yes... we got your question out of the way... who's next?" She says with a smile as she completely avoids looking at a pretty-miffed violet unicorn.
Rainbow Dash raises her hoof with a challenging look before pointing at the Saiyan. "How fast can you go!?"
Paolina lets out a small hum. "I think, if I were to pull out all the stops and go as fast as I could I might likely reach the speed of light, but I prefer flying around mach sixty, it's fast, but it's a lot more comfortable... I can actually get tiny scratches from particles in the air if I were to travel near my full speed."
Rainbow Dash growls at her. "I challenge you to a race then! There's no way you can move that fast!"
"That's fine, I'd be happy to see if you pose a challenge to my speed." Paolina chuckled. "Next?" she looked over to Rarity.
The white mare let out a tiny smile before nodding. "What kind of fashion is popular where you are from?"
Paolina smiled in response. "Battle suits like this... I'm not quite sure if there's a particular style on the earth that Trunks is from, although on Planet Plant our Battle Suits determine much about the warrior wearing it."
Rarity looked at her with interest. "Really Darling? How so?"
"Well, warriors who have older models of armor tend to use them either because they prefer the look, or they're very low in rank, the closer to the latest model they are the higher they are, although some of the higher-ranked warriors tend to get customized armor like the formal attire I have."
"Y'all wear armor ta formal events?" Applejack asked.
"Absolutely, a Saiyan's armor is a badge of honor and a sign of rank, aside from the royal family only the highest-ranked of the Saiyans wear a cape on their armor to symbolize their status among the military."
Twilight raises her hoof again. "What is a Saiyan though, The princess has talked a little bit about it... but... she didn't want to fill in any specifics."
"I'm actually a little glad you asked that since I found out that the universes' that the Saiyans exist in can have them vary wildly... In the universe that I'm from though, the Saiyans are a Meritocracy under the royal family." Twilight nods a bit as her quill quickly scratches along her paper that she had brought just before it stops cold.
"Wait... so that means..."
"That I'm an alien? Yes." Paolina says with a chuckle as she sits back on the bed. "Oddly enough, many races that evolved from primates look a lot like my race." Twilight's quill began to scratch along the pad quite a bit faster. "Well... that's all the questions I have time for, I've got to check up on a friend and make sure she's alright." Paolina says before she puts two fingers to her forehead and searches for Zecora's Ki signature. Once locked onto it she vanishes from the hospital only to reappear in a slightly-damaged hut less than a second later. She squeaked a little in surprise as she noticed the stunned zebra on the floor and quickly began to help get her back into a good condition.
Twilight sighed as the Saiyan vanished from her sight, she wanted to screech in aggravation at being denied an opportunity to learn about an alien race but Celestia's hoof and gentle shake of her head discouraged the attempt. So she simply settled on letting her agitation cool off as she went over her notes, pausing to speak with each of her friends before they all left the hospital. Soon all that was left was Celestia, Luna and Twilight outside of the Shady Oaks Public Library. "Thank you for letting me stay in Ponyville Princess..." She began before being cut off with a gentle hoof on her nose.
"No thanks are needed Twilight, it was my pleasure to have you and your friends cleanse the darkness that was in my sister's heart so that we could be together again." Celestia explained as she nuzzled her student. "You've done more than I could ever have asked of you with good conscience... If anything it is I, who should be thanking you."
Twilight blushed a little as her teacher nuzzled her. "Thank you Princess... I will do my best, I'll make sure to send you reports on my studies of friendship as well."
"I'm sure you will... now, farewell my faithful student..." Celestia coos before her horn lights up and both of the princesses vanish in a flash of light.
In the throne room of Canterlot Castle the windows were lit from within as Celestia's teleportation spell finished bringing both of the alicorns to Canterlot Castle. Luna quickly nuzzled up against her sister's leg like a timid filly while they walked to the long-unused Lunar Tower. Celestia let out a happy hum as she opened the door to the pristine room, filled with many plush toys and other foal toys that were in near pristine condition but were worth more in sentimental value than the king's ransoms that each individual toy would be worth. Celestia began to tear up as Luna's face broke out in a grin when she dashed inside to pick up several of the toys she hadn't touched in a thousand years. Her smile faded a little as she noticed her sister's crying face and the smile that trembled at the edges. She took a few tentative steps forward. "S-sister... art thou alright...?" She asks quietly.
Celestia quickly uses her wings to wipe away her tears before walking up to her sister and gently pulling her into a hug. "Yes Luna... Everything is alright... now that you're back... It's just that, seeing your happy face when you rushed in gave me more happiness than I've experienced in a long... long time..." She hugged her sister a little tighter. "I missed you so much Luna."
"We-... I... Missed you too Celestia..." Luna replies with slight hesitation as she hugs her sister back. "I missed you too..."
Paolina let out a small groan as she got up from the straw mattress that Zecora was letting her use until she found a place of her own. "So... Zecora, know any places with a good view and plenty of space to train?" She chuckled as the zebra trotted into the hut.
With a practiced hum the zebra began mixing several ingredients with water in her cauldron, waiting till she added everything before starting a small fire. "How far do you wish to Roam? It is not easy to find a spot to place a home..."
"With how fast I can travel... I was actually kind of hoping that it wouldn't be a place too far from civilization..." Paolina replies. "Since I'm going to be staying in this world a lot longer than I had originally hoped."
The zebra nods a little. "Then speak with Mayor Mare, her place of work is just off of the main square... To find a place in town, one could simply look around."
Paolina nods a little. "I think I'll do that... Once I get set up, you're welcome any time." Zecora gives the young woman a smile as she takes off into the air. "See ya later Zecora!" Paolina calls as she soars over the tops of the trees, smiling as she angles herself towards the skies above ponyville at a relaxed pace. "...I wonder what challenges Equestria has in store..." she thinks excitedly to herself.
Upon landing in town square however, she was met with a very different sight as every pony that had been in the marketplace seemed to have disappeared only moments before she had landed. She hugged herself out of the slight nervousness that began to make itself known in the pit of her stomach now that she had begun second-guessing her intention of getting a place near ponyville to live. "Maybe it would be better to take the same route Goku-Sensei took... put my house on a mountain where I have plenty of space to train..." The suddenly-quiet atmosphere began to make eerie chills run down the Saiyan's spine. "...Come on Paolina... you've fought gods to the point where you almost died just to laugh in their face... a creepy ghost town that was bustling with life not five minutes ago isn't something to get all worked up over..." she mumbled to herself as she walked up to the door of town hall to try the knob, only to find it locked, much to her confusion.
Sure, she could have broken the door down simply by pushing it... but that wouldn't be right, and she didn't have the money on her that was used in this country in order to pay until she could figure out just how much a zenny was worth compared to equestrian bits. The better option was the one she chose; she left the door alone and took to the sky slowly as she started to have a bad feeling about just what she was getting herself into by staying in Equestria. "...Maybe Zecora wouldn't mind me staying just a little longer..." she mumbled as she began to pick up speed to put some distance between the town and her.
Spike and Twilight coughed a bit as they emerged from a shrubbery near the marketplace. "Jeez Berry... what was that all about?!" Spike asked as he rubbed his sore rump and shook the extra leaves from his scales.
The dark pink mare looked over the two with a slightly blank, and moderately confused look, before simply shrugging. "I... I really don't know. One moment I was talking to Applejack about an order of apples and the next the only thought crossing my mind was to hide because something scary was coming, I didn't even know what it was but I knew I had to hide, and then I came across you two just standing around and I acted kinda on autopilot there..."
Twilight and her dragon assistant looked back towards the marketplace and noticed that several other ponies must have had the same reaction since they were timidly making their way out of whatever hiding places that they had chosen for these brief few minutes.
If anything, Spike sorta understood how they had felt, he had managed to glimpse the marketplace just before he was grabbed roughly by the nape of his neck and the both of them had come face to face with a terrified Berry Punch. He knew that whatever landed in the marketplace was the source of whatever caused the mass fear, but... he hadn't been afraid... He was actually more curious now. A feeling deep down in hit gut made him want to find the source of that power.
The feeling began to excite him, he had read a little bit about dragon hoards and how many pony scientists compared them to a Jackdaw, but this... he could tell by instinct that it was a power he wanted to add to his own. His toes curled a little, digging tiny trenches in the dirt as his entire body felt the overwhelming urge to look for that source of power, his claws started grasping unconsciously at his sides as he began to fantasize about the power he would have if that source was part of his hoard. He was brought out of his reverie as he was lifted up by Twilight's magic and placed on her back.
"Well, as much fun as this exploration of a ponyville shrub has been Berry Punch, Spike and I still have things to do today... so... bye..." Twilight ends with a sheepish smile before quickly trotting off. She let out a sigh as she began to go through a few stalls, shopping for groceries for the week. "Spike... I think that Paolina was the cause of that power surge that spooked everypony..."
Spike, taken a little off guard by the sudden realization, quickly nods against his adopted sister's neck as he watches her pick out various fruits and vegetables among the stalls. "Where do you think she went?" He asked tentatively, although he already had an idea since his entire body seemed to be wanting to go in that direction.
"I think she went to the Everfree... she must be exhausted from trying to just survive in that horrible forest..." Twilight says with a bit of worry.
Paolina let out a happy sigh as she reclined back in the hot springs across from Zecora. "This... is exactly what I needed..." She says with a smile as she looks up at the sky through the few gaps in the canopy.
"I mean, think about it Spike, she's probably out there fighting for her life right now..."
"I wonder why the ponies really avoid this place... It's just like forests back home. Maybe it's the whole 'wild and untamed' thing that's what turns ponies off to exploring this place..." Paolina hummed as she sunk a little lower in the spring, feeling a tad sleepy because of the relaxing warmth
Spike couldn't help but feel a cold pit settle in the bottom of his belly as he continued throwing glances towards the large, imposing forest the entire time they were in the marketplace. "...yeah... I hope she's alright."
"I do too Spike, I do too..." Twilight sighed before putting on a smile as she went to make her final purchase for the day.
Episode 6: The Ticket Master
After several days of relaxing and speaking with Zecora in the Everfree, Paolina finally decided to scout for a nice little mountain range to live at instead of near a town. That way she had a bit of privacy and plenty of space to train without needing to worry about possibly injuring anyone. This time on her way to town she had decided to land a bit outside of town and simply walk in.
It turned out a bit better than she expected when she was given stares of curiosity instead of an empty street full of fear. Stares of curiosity she could take, being alone in a bustling town she could not. She made sure to make her way to town hall this time to see what the possible conversion rate of Zenny to Bits could be so that she could get some cash to spend on food and seeds. She let her mind wander a little as she walked, trusting her feet to take her to town hall as her mind went over what kinds of seeds she wanted to use for her garden. It would have to be a pretty big one to keep up with her appetite... definitely a wide variety to make sure she wasn't just eating the same old thing day after day.
Oh... That would be tricky, getting hold of various types of meat to work with... On second thought, maybe just fish. Yeah, she learned plenty about sushi to make her own Makizushi, all she needed was the dried red algae seaweed for the wrap. It was something that was possible that she would be able to get in a pony marketplace due to the seaweed being palatable to herbivores and omnivores... but... maybe it was just too exotic for the ponies to think about it. She'd have to check when she got to the market and started getting ready for the journey to her plateau.
Soon enough she found herself outside the same official building as a few days ago, she quickly opened the door and walked into the much-cooler air of the mayoral office building. The secretary at the desk was leafing through a few papers before she looked up and gave a small smile. "Hello! My name is Scratch Ream, although I prefer Miss Ream... if you would like you can take a seat just over there.." the teal earth pony says as she points to a row of benches with a hoof. "...and I'll let Mayor Mare know that she has a visitor, it shouldn't be too long of a wait, the town has really quieted down over the past couple days." Paolina nodded before taking note of the paper and quill-shaped mark on the mare's flank as she went into one of the back rooms to speak with the Mayor.
"Well... at least everything's going according to plan..." Paolina hums as she leans back a little. "Maybe I could stroll around for a while after I'm done he-..." She stops as she notices Scratch Ream re-enter the room with a small, sheepish smile.
"I'm sorry, the Mayor is currently with the town contractor discussing reparations for recent damages to the town, it may take a few hours for her schedule to clear up. I can write you in for a later appointment if you don't mind." the teal mare started to brighten a little as her emerald-green mane bounced with each step.
Paolina let out a small sigh and nodded. "Sure, what's the soonest you would estimate her being free?"
"The best I can estimate is about four in the afternoon, since a lot of houses near the Everfree received a bit of structural damage and even houses on the opposite side of town had cracked or shattered windows."
The Saiyan let out a small wince as she heard the damage report. "Well, I can come back after four then."
"Great! I'll put you down for four-thirty." Ream replied with a broad smile, letting Paolina get up and leave so that she could explore the town for a while.
The first thing that caught her attention when she left though was something that made her quickly hide in the bushes. Not even ten yards away and the lavender unicorn she had come to know as Twilight was speaking to a rather excited Pinkie Pie. Paolina had quickly learned to avoid that pink menace whenever possible since it always seemed that she moved faster than Goku ever had. There was a bit of a heated debate before the fashionista mare joined in a few seconds later, seeming to get lost in some sort of fantasy until being interrupted by the pink menace that Paolina could've sworn was a Majin by the way she bounced around everywhere and seemed to stretch like the bubblegum she got her color from.
Once the violet mare began to eat though, that was something that interested her more than the possibility of needing to avoid the majin-pony for the rest of the day when both of the fighting guests started to walk away. It was only a drip at first as the clouds over ponyville began to darken while pegusai pushed dark clouds together above the town. She watched as the ponies pushed the clouds together and made them all clump into one giant, dark cloud that started to drip rain faster and faster. She began to think of it kind of like a dance, one where the weather was forced into doing what the ponies needed... in a way it didn't feel fair to the weather that it was manipulated into doing what the ponies needed... But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed that humans and Tuffles were trying to get the same results with far less success.
Here ponies were, simply pushing rainclouds where they needed to be, while humans still were at the mercy of nature when it came to whether rains came on time or not. Her attention was turned to the nearby restaurant as the violet unicorn was looking around in confusion at the ponies fleeing inside, Paolina actually had the same little bit of confusion. "it's only a little rain... nothing like a real storm..." she thought before Twilight looked up to reveal the Cyan mare, Rainbow Dash, had kept a spot in the clouds open just for her. "oh... that's nice... but... why just for Twilight and Spike?" Paolina thought before Twilight gave Rainbow dash a harsh look, and very likely equally-harsh words, giving the pegasus mare reason to pout and close the hole like a zipper which caused Twilight and Spike to get soaked, eliciting a giggle out of the Saiyan who happened to be watching the whole spectacle. She was about to vanish back to Zecora's hut before she noticed how agitated Twilight seemed to be getting.
While it would've been a fairly friendly idea to see what's eating at Twilight, she had a feeling that actually asking her would lead to the little unicorn biting at her, so she simply stepped out of the bush after Twilight had passed with a slightly-dripping Spike in tow. Paolina picked up her pace just enough to fall into step next to Spike, once he noticed she was next to him she gave him a smile. "Hey... Spike, right?"
He nodded with a smile. "Yeah! What's up?"
"Hehe, I was actually going to ask you the same thing, since Twilight seems to be a bit upset..." Paolina replies as she takes note of Twilight's ears twitching in her direction.
"Oh yeah..." Spike sighs a little. "...All of Twilight's friends found out she has an extra ticket to the Grand Galloping Gala and now they all keep trying to do favors for her to sway her in their favor."
Paolina let out a little giggle. "So eloquent for such a little tyke, but... What's the Grand Galloping Gala?"
Spike made a noise with his tongue and glared a little at the tickets in his hands before answering. "It's just some stupid, girly dance that all the nobles go to every year... Once Twilight got old enough for Celestia to allow her to go she had been dragging me along with her... and every year it's the same, boring stuff... Just nobles listening to quiet music and talking about themselves."
"Sounds rough... You guys want to stop by my place and get a bite to eat?" Paolina asked as she finished listening to Spike's explanation. Within seconds she realized her mistake as Twilight rounded on her with a very angry glare.
"NO! No Favors! I don't want to give anypony more of a chance than the others!" She shouts before picking up Spike in her magic and taking off to another part of town.
Paolina blinked dumbly for almost a minute as she was stuck between a few emotions; Offended for having such a low-strength being yell at her and get away with it, her Saiyan side most likely, and that would've only gotten a goddess of the sun on her case... Surprised at having Twilight yell at her for asking such a simple question... and a little sad that the mare had taken her genuine offer and thought so little of it. It was actually one of the few things that did hurt, mainly because it was a blow to her pride... She never expected favors from anyone and did what she could to not ask favors of others, but this... This felt like a spear of ice had been plunged right into her core.
She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, opening them slowly as she let the breath out. "...I'll just have to make sure that she knows the difference between a favor and a friendly gesture." the Saiyan said with determination as she took to the sky, looking for a good spot to view the whole town.
Spike bit his lip as he picked up his pace behind the nearly-sprinting unicorn. She may not have been a professional sprinter, but she was still faster than the stubby-legged dragon that had to watch where he was going unless he wanted to trip over his own feet. "Twilight! I... I think she wasn't asking... for a favor!" he panted as his caretaker started to slow down. "I... Whew... I mean it... Twilight... I think... She just wanted... to give us... a break..."
Twilight let out a small sigh as she began opening the door to Golden Oaks Library. "I hope so Spike, I'll apologize to her later, but right now I just need to get something to eat..." Once the door was open all the way though, she couldn't help but groan in exasperation. "...Fluttershy? You too?"
In the halls of Canterlot Castle both of Equestria's diarchs were face-to-face with a creature they had never encountered before. It was similar in a general shape to the Saiyans, but that's where the similarities died; It's skin was a milk-white, not unlike Celestia's own coat, and the eyes that went with them were a deep crimson. Within them both Celestia and Luna were able to get a sense that this creature had fought incredibly powerful enemies and nearly-impossible odds... much like their Saiyan friend. The creature's skin had lines running all along its length like the veins of a plant, moving along every curve in its arms, there were even some pink patches of skin where it seemed like muscle bulging out against a very thin clothing material. It had a slightly-squared chin that tapered to a cleft as he stood with a slight smirk among the groaning bodies of defeated royal guards. His antennae twitched on each side of his curved spine-ridge as he began to speak in a smooth baritone.
"Sorry about the mess..." He says as one arm moves his white-cloth cape out from around him. "...but your guards could certainly use more training."
Celestia gives a small chuckle as she covers her mouth with a hoof, Luna simply sits with her hooves across her chest. "Back when we were actually ruling the guards would've certainly given thee a proper fight... even would have bested thou since they used to practice with us."
Celestia smiles a little as she calms her chuckles. "Yes, quite right sister... although, I do have to ask, what manner of creature are you?" She asks with a quirked brow.
The creature bows a little as his cape covers his purple clothes that were modeled in a similar style to his mentor, Piccolo, "I am Cello... I am known as an Albino Namekkian. It's a pleasure to meet you both..."
Luna actually smiles and bows a little in response. "A warrior like thou commands much respect from fellow warriors, what brings thee to our castle?"
"I am actually quite curious as well." Celestia hums before looking off to the side. "Prim, Proper..." She calls out, seeming to summon two very fancy-looking unicorns, a mare and stallion of nearly similar yellow-tone coats and slicked dark-ochre manes. "Could you please bring us some tea, I believe we shall be having an extended conversation in the gardens." With identical nods both unicorns smile and leave the room as silently as they had arrived. With a similar, warm smile Celestia gets up from her throne, followed closely by the still-filly Luna as she beckons Cello to follow them both to the gardens.
Once outside they each take a seat on some rather lavish benches as the two unicorns from earlier appear with a steaming pot of tea. Celestia dismisses them both with a nod and they both seem to disappear once again.
Luna lets out a small sigh and puffs out her cheeks a little. "If only servants had been this efficient a thousand years ago..."
Celestia gently brought Luna's attention back to their guest. "As you were saying..." she prods.
Cello gives a small nod. "It was actually at the request of the Supreme Kai of Time, she informed me that my friend, Paolina was part of this world now and that the position of guardian of Equus was empty. When she let me know that there were two actual gods ruling over one of the countries I thought it would be only polite to ask permission if I could become Kami of this planet." he explained before taking a sip of his tea.
Celestia smiled just a little bit more. "It would be nice to have a Kami of the planet again, since one of the trials to become the new guardian is to defeat the old guardian we have had little chance to get a new guardian since none have been able to defeat his spirit..."
Luna seemed a bit dejected as she heard the news, but smiled a little bit. "Yes, the Guardian is granted longevity by virtue of their position... it would be nice to have another being of personal longevity to speak with again."
"Of course you are more than welcome to test your mettle against the previous guardian to see if you may be the new guardian." Celestia says. "If you would like we can take you to the lookout that served as the previous guardian's home and temple."
Cello smiled a little bit as he finished his cup. "I would be honored..."
Paolina couldn't help but let a smirk form on her face as she watched Twilight get chased around town by ponies that were frantic to get her extra ticket. A little part of her was a bit satisfied that this was punishment enough for the little unicorn snapping at her earlier, another part felt just a tad guilty that she simply hovered by as her friend was being run ragged through the town. She finally tilted herself towards where the Violet unicorn was being herded to a dead end.
Twilight had turned to see the huge crowd of ponies that had gathered in an attempt to bargain for the spare ticket and she started to panic, every sense was yelling at her to leave... to be anywhere but where she was... and it was a slight relief, though she didn't know it at the moment, when she felt an arm around her neck, pulling the unicorn and her dragon assistant to their Saiyan friend just before the world seemed to shift in an instant from a crowded dead-end alley to the inside of a hut.
Paolina smiled as she let both of her friends go, chuckling as they rolled away in their exhaustion. "you guys want something to eat?"
Twilight's head snapped up to look at who had saved them and her eyes began to brim with tears as her mouth wobbled a bit, she quickly got up and leapt to the Saiyan, embracing her in as tight a hug as she could. "I... I can't take it anymore... So many ponies... I... I don't want to disappoint them or my friends... please don't ask for the ticket too..." She sobbed as she buried her face on the chestpiece of her friend's armor, surprising the Saiyan just a little.
Paolina's surprised look turned into a small smile as she gently pet the scared unicorn's mane. "Hey... like I told Spike earlier... not interested, I don't do formal events. But you're welcome to relax a bit out here..."
After sniffling a little Twilight looks around. "Where... where are we?"
"We're at my friend's home in the Everfree." Paolina replied with a smile.
Twilight's sobs stopped dead. "WHAT!?!" She shouts as she pulls away and starts trotting in place in a panic. "You... you brought us to the most dangerous forest in the world!? Why!?"
"You looked like you wanted to get away from the crowd... Stick with me and the Everfree will leave you alone." Paolina replied with a shrug. "Besides... I don't think you want to go back to Ponyville with that crowd after you and they wouldn't bother to look here for you either. So... Zecora should be back in a little bit so we can all relax for a few hours before you two head home."
Twilight took a small breath as she started to calm down, looking over to her dazed assistant as he started to get up and shake some sense into his head. "I think we could take a break for now..." She says.
Twilight actually lets out a relaxed hum as she leans against the smooth stone bank of the hot spring Paolina had led them to. "Wow... you really weren't kidding when you said we needed this... and the stone is so smooth... I would've thought it would be a muddy bank."
"It originally was, but I couldn't deal with getting out of here just to step in mud, so I helped Zecora by getting the dirt packed with stone, it was actually a pretty fun way to ease my stress from my first trip to town."
"What happened?" Spike asked with curiosity as he slipped in across from the girls. "I doubt there's a lot that would stress you..."
"Well, you're part right Spike." Paolina says with a tiny laugh as she sinks a little in the relaxing water. "...Every pony in town simply disappeared when I landed in the marketplace... It was one of the creepiest things I had ever seen, and... well... I don't quite handle creepy all to well..."
"Yeah... I know what you mean... I read this weird comic book one time, had this one creature called a Grue, I wouldn't sleep without a night light for three months afterward..." Spike chuckled sheepishly.
Twilight rolled her eyes. "Three months... No, try, a year. Besides, I thought that was the reason why you still sleep with one..." She smirks a bit as the little dragon shoots his adopted sister a glare, his puffed out cheeks and tiny wisps of smoke coming from his nose making him look so much more adorable than any dragon normally could.
"You know, I think a lot of your cuteness comes from you still being a baby dragon." Paolina says as she looks over to the fuming lizard. "Although... I got to see Gohan's pet dragon Icarus, he was pretty adorable... though I think he was a drake instead of a dragon, since he never really got too much bigger than when Gohan had met him."
Twilight let out a small groan of happiness as she could feel all the tension slipping from her body. "This spring really does make it worth being out here in the Everfree..."
"Well Twi, I think you should be getting back to your friends soon, so let's get dried off so you can talk to them." Paolina suggests.
"Sure, but don't think this has gotten you out of an interrogation on how your magic works." Twilight says with a smirk before her expression changes to confusion.
Paolina has a flat look as she looks at the mare. "It's Ki, not magic, magic is a completely different source of power."
Twilight sighs and shakes her head. "Still, we're going to be talking about it later, and how you have so much."
Spike smiled as he thought of more time being spent around the source of power that was making his dragon instincts want to hoard it, it was an interesting prospect to be sure as he watched the Saiyan and mare both quickly get out of the spring. With a little hop up from the shallows he gets out and shakes himself dry, patiently waiting for the other two to get themselves dried off.
Once they're both dry and Paolina simply put on a light orange gi she got them both ready to teleport again. "I'll just drop you two off, I'm sure you can handle it from there." She says as they vanish from the bank of the spring so that they could reappear in the Library just before Paolina vanished again.
After Twilight had realized her friends were waiting for her in the library she had explained to them why she was planning to send the tickets back to Celestia, since her friends' happiness was worth more to her than a fancy party. They all became ecstatic as Celestia had sent her reply and seven tickets to the Gala, all of Twilight's friends had offered to take their mutual friend to dinner but they all paused as Spike burped up another letter from Celestia, each watching in confusion as he unraveled the scroll to read it and take the eighth ticket.
"...And one for you too Spike?" He reads with a bit of confusion as he looks at the two tickets in his claws. "Why would I need one when she already sent seven?"
Twilight brought her hoof to her forehead as an idea formed in her head. "I think one of those two tickets are for Paolina, she's the one that helped us get away from that mob after all, she should be counted as one of our friends." That brings out a round of 'oh's from the rest of the group as they make their way to one of the local restaurants.
Spike actually starts smiling a bit as he remembers that Twilight was definitely planning to bring Paolina to the tree house more often. "Maybe she could give me some tips on how to get Rarity to notice me...?" He starts to grin a bit at the prospect.
Episode 7: Applebuck Season Part 1
The roosters of Sweet Apple Acres let out their morning calls to wake the family of Sweet Apple Acres early in the morning. Applejack was the first to get up, standing on her family's porch already just to take a deep breath of the refreshing morning air. She began to look across the huge apple orchard with a smirk at fields of red, green and brown. "It's applebucking season..." She whispered as a large, red stallion exited the house to stand next to her.
Big Macintosh, Big Mac to his friends and family, spent several seconds to take in the same sight, a farm that seemed to go to the horizon just brimming with one of the most beautiful apple orchards in the nation... some would even dare to say the world, but AJ knew that it was better to be humble and enjoyed in Equestria at the least. He took a small breath. "...Eeyup..."
Paolina finally had herself a bag of bits to buy with now that her appointment with Mayor Mare to discuss the exchange rate for Zeni to Bits was complete... that was a headache that she would be happy to never go through again. It took about a week for a royal treasurer to come to the town despite the fact she offered to fly right to Canterlot to deal with it, because of that she had spent an entire week practically starving as she waited to convert some bits. She gently touched down outside of her home on one of the nearest mountains and took a breath of the fresh, clean air. "Ah... Training season... best year of the time..." She gave a little chuckle as she got to work with some of the seeds she had recently purchased from Ponyville. "Hehe... year of the time... I gotta remember that one for later."
Just as she finished planting the last of the seeds she had purchased from Ponyville she straightened as a new guest arrived. "Hm... Instant transmission seems to be a favorite among the Time Patrol... doesn't it."
From behind her the baritone chuckle from Cello said it all. "Well, it's great for getting from point A to point B..."
Paolina had a small smile as she turned to look at one of her close friends. "It's been quite a while... although, it seems like you topped out, didn't you."
The albino Namekkian gives her a shrug as they start to walk towards the Saiyan's new home. "Ever since Tokitoki was rebuilt the only person I know who did any training more intense than you would be Cynder..."
Paolina perked up at that. "Really? Last time I had seen her she was just barely able to gather her energy together." She let her friend into her home first and a few of the server-bots quickly got to work preparing drinks for them.
"She... She's been following in your path, using the scroll of time to go on the same quest you did. She's already got herself training with Lord Beerus and Lord Whis." Cello explains as he takes one of the cups of tea. "She really looks up to you Paolina..."
"Yeah..." The Saiyan replied with more of a nostalgic sigh. "It's only been a couple months but I already miss her... Has she broken past the Ascended barrier yet?" Paolina asked with a smile.
Cello's serious look caused her to lose her own smile as he responded with a clear "...No..." Which caused Paolina's eyes to widen in shock.
"B-But... I couldn't even beat Beerus' test without going super saiyan!"
"I know... but she's going through the exact same path without using the addition of the Super Saiyan power... Right now though, I wouldn't be surprised if she was training right alongside Vegeta, Goku, Beerus and Whis at this very moment... She's gotten strong, as strong as you, without needing to unleash rage in order to get stronger." Cello let out a small sigh as he leaned back in his seat. "...Sometimes, I envy you Saiyans... You get stronger and stay in a battle ready condition far longer than any other race... Even I couldn't hold my own against Cell, but you, Cynder and Toma all fought him like he was a pushover..."
"Well, I wouldn't exactly say it was easy..." Paolina replied. "It still took hours and hours of training in order to be able to beat Cell. Even then, I still accepted him as a mentor because he was able to teach me even more than Piccolo had." She gives a small shudder. "If... If she's becoming as strong as I am... I fear the day she breaks the Super Saiyan barrier... because nobody may be able to stop her."
"Considering that she's training alongside gods right now... I wouldn't be surprised." Cello chuckles. "The last time I had spoken to her she still had that very childlike innocence about her despite fighting the same battles you did." He puts a hand on his chin. "It could possibly be because she knew it was all simulation instead of the real thing that she's so confident in her strength."
Paolina nodded with a small smile. "She's like a little sister to me... Or at least something like that..." She nods a little before looking back over to the pale Namekkian. "So, what brings you to Equestria?"
"Since Tokitoki has quieted down a bit and all the time patrollers are migrating away from the city the Supreme Kai of Time told me there was a position as Kami available here, so I decided I could use a nice, cushy job watching over a planet, possibly creating a set of dragon balls for the place."
Paolina let out a small chuckle. "Oh please, cushy? You wouldn't know what to do with yourself if you weren't beating someone's face in."
"That may describe you, but I do know how to keep busy when I'm not fighting." Cello replied with a smirk. "I'm not fighting right now, am I?"
"Oh, so you're just going to talk to yourself wherever your lookout happens to be?" Paolina retorted with a smirk.
"Of course not, I've already spoken with Celestia about adoption, I'm going to adopt a groundskeeper for my lookout, I will also be teaching him or her the ways of Ki so that I have someone to train with when they are strong enough." Cello answered as he slowly got up. "Now, I'm sure your friends in ponyville could use your help right about now, I get the feeling that one of them is being a tad stubborn compared to the rest." He chuckled a little as he took to the air and gave a small, two-fingered salute before taking off.
Paolina looked off towards Ponyville, nearly a speck of a town in the distance. "I wonder... What is Spike getting up to?" She muttered before taking to the air as well. There was a small sonic boom in the air as she took off towards town.
"Oh, so yer sayin' that my mouth is makin' bets my legs can't keep, is that it?" Applejack growled at her brother as he pulled a cart full of barrels down the main street of Ponyville.
"...Eeyup..." He replied simply, not taking his eyes away from the road.
Applejack's muzzle lit up red with anger. "What!? How could ya say that?! I'm yer sister, Strongest mare in Ponyville, I can handle an orchard while you handle the corn field and potato fields, We don't need no extra help on the farm." Mer muzzle seemed to twist into a grimace. "We don't have the bits to hire anypony... Or do I need to remind you of those minotaurs you tried ta hire last year..."
"...Nope... but AJ, You're still just one pony. You might be strong but strength isn't what we need more than a few helping hooves around the farm..." Big Mac sighed as he stopped outside one of the local barley mills, nodding to the earth pony workers who quickly came out to alleviate the large stallion of his heavy burden. "What we need around the farm is extra hooves so that we're not exhausted and workin' ourselves to an early grave." He rumbled as one of the workers passed a bag of bits to AJ, causing a look of confusion from the two.
The auburn earth pony gave a small smile. "Mill's under new management, with the prices changin' the new boss is giving a small advance to our suppliers to help keep them supplyin' us instead of turning away. Guy's generous like that since he doesn't want to see places like this get run down."
The explanation got both of the farm ponies to smile a bit back. "Well, thank ya kindly, we'll be sure to invest these bits wisely then." Applejack replied as her brother started pulling the empty cart away. Once out of earshot, which happened to be quite a ways for a pony, Big Mac started the conversation up again.
"Why not ask yer new friends if they would mind helpin'? I'm sure they'd be happy ta help if they knew we were in a pinch."
Applejack growled at him again. "We are NOT in a pinch!" She hissed. "We are doin' jus' fine and I'll prove it, I'll have the whole orchard harvested by the end of the week!" Big mac simply rolled his eyes as his sister stormed off to their farm.
The large stallion's ears twitched as Paolina landed nearby, he blinked a few times as she started looking around the now-empty street. "Ugh... I'm never going to get used to tha-... oh..." She hesitated the moment she saw Big Mac. "Sorry, Usually I'm greeted with an entirely empty street whenever I fly into town."
"Not surprisin'... If'n it weren't for my curiosity I woulda turned tail too, that an the fact this is the only cart large enough to fit me any more." Big Mac replies. "Don' quite want to leave it jus' anywhere, ya know?"
Paolina nodded a little as she walked up to the large stallion. "Yeah, I really seem to be able to clear the town... You happen to know where Spike is?"
"That's... Twilight's little friend, right?" Big Mac asks as they walk down the street.
"Yep, although he says he's her number one assistant, it's kinda adorable." Paolina chuckled as she started noticing a few more ponies making their way out of improvised hiding places, acting like she hadn't just scared them with her power. It was at least better than the two of them walking down a deserted street, it didn't quite hurt the fact since it did seem like they didn't know why they were scared too... since many of them waved at her as the pair passed down the street. She had a pensive frown on her face. "Maybe I shouldn't fly into town..."
"Strange that you can fly though..." Big Mac replied. "Seems to be limited to pegusai and griffons normally... least, among the critters that talk around here." He explained. "And that Spike fella is likely to be with Twilight, whenever I see him around town she's usually with him. Why do you wanna know where he is? Ain't he a bit too young for ya?" He jabs with a small smirk.
She flicked his ear as she let out a laugh. "You dolt, he seems to be interested in getting stronger... I think Twilight might be able to arrange something so that he could train and keep occupied when he's not just idling around."
"I kinda doubt that..." Mac replied.
"How so?" Paolina asked.
Big Mac put on a knowing smile. "Since he met Miss Rarity he's been tryin' to get her to notice him. He might want to have something flashy to git her attention."
Paolina put on a confident smile. "Well, my training would wring that desire right out, One should train for the desire to better the self, instead of show off." That managed to get the stallion to laugh.
"Ah, you'd like AJ then, my sis likes to work the farm just because it made her the strongest mare in ponyville, even minotaurs have good competition when she gets to the bar."
"I'd hope so, well... It was good talking to you, I'm off to find Spike, little guy could use some friends." Paolina gave the large, red stallion a friendly wave before making her way to the local library.
Big Mac stopped his walk as he looked over the Saiyan that had left his company. He hummed a little to himself as his eyes appraised the girl's form. "...Good tone, mighty strong... she might be able to help, hope she don't mind gettin' a little dirty." He mused as he continued his way to the farm.
Twilight let out a happy sigh as she finished making a self-imposed report on the behavior on local fauna, it wasn't easy to be the librarian in Ponyville since so few ponies actually wanted to use the library as often as she did when she was in Canterlot. Fortunately the occasional pony would come in looking for a book that could help them or for some light reading so she was always happy to help after memorizing nearly half the books already. Although there was one section that she refused to let Spike touch, ones that were best kept out of the claws of baby dragons. Admittedly, she really did wish that there were more books available on the subject of Dragons or Saiyans, but both races were ones that had so little interaction with pony society that it was a miracle that any pony at all knew about them. The only time dragons were seen outside of some Breezie Tale was simply as a warning that if a dragon was nearby the safest direction to go was away from the dragon and prey it didn't smell you. It certainly wasn't any help in trying to figure out some of the nutritional benefits for her little assistant, since she would estimate that by now he should have been at least a little bit bigger than he actually is.
Twilight let out a small squeak of surprise as the bell above the library door chimed to let her know someone had come in. "Hello! Welcome to the Golden Oaks Library! Oh, Paolina, how have you been?" She got up and started walking over to the Saiyan as she closed the door.
"Good, and the Library's looking really nice, it's a really nice setup you have going on here." Paolina says with a bit of an impressed tone as she looks over the shelves of books. "Anything interesting you have here?" She chuckles.
"This is a library, of course there's interesting information, what are you looking for?" Twilight asked with a smile as she got into her 'happy librarian' mode. "We have books on subjects from Astronomy to Zoology!" She chimed happily as her horn lit up and several books began to float from idle piles through the air to neatly shelf themselves nearby.
"I was looking to learn a bit more about dragons..." Paolina replied.
Twilight groaned internally, that subject being the one that she had criticized herself for being light on not mere minutes ago. "I... Would, but sadly, that's the one topic that ponies are dangerously light on..."
"Hm, and here I was, thinking that you had a dragon living with you and were able to learn so much about how a dragon lives." Paolina hummed. "Where is the little guy anyway?"
Twilight frowned a little. "He's upstairs, napping. He is a baby dragon still, but that's the thing, he only knows as much about his own kind as us ponies do, he was raised under my care after I helped hatch him."
"Well, From the earth that I spent the better part of... thirty-something years saving... I do know that dragons are an omnivorous species, much like humans but on a far wider palette."
Twilight's eyes widened a bit as she looked back to the Saiyan, "How much do you know about dragons?"
Paolina shrugged as she took a seat across from Twilight. "Only about as much as human mythology gave them... since Tokitoki City exists outside of time I had plenty of time to read up on some interesting bits of human lore."
"So... you're..." Twilight began hesitantly.
"Don't worry, due to Tokitoki being outside of the normal timeline I'm only about sixteen... all time technically stops in Tokitoki since it doesn't follow the flow of time."
"Wait... If Tokitoki is outside of time... then how do you patrol time?"
"That's the beauty of it, since Tokitoki is outside of time, we have an objective view of time and look at it more like a canvas than as a river that we float along. When you're outside of time, you can be literally anywhere else in time and not have it affect you, kinda like immortality but you can still die by normal causes... so... more like eternal youth if you stay outside of time."
Twilight was already writing in a nearby notepad out of habit. "I see... so... in this 'Toki toki city' you don't age at all?"
Paolina smiled as the inquisitive unicorn levitated a couple of cups out to them, they happened to just be water. "That's right, one example could be the Fusion dance developed by the species that inhabits the planet Yardrat, it's a special technique that's able to combine two warriors of equal strength and about equal size into one incredibly powerful warrior. The only downside is that it lasts thirty minutes, sometimes less if you're using a ton of energy."
Twilight nodded as she began a new page. "how does that prove to be an example?"
"Well, that's the great thing, when a fused warrior using the fusion dance goes to Tokitoki, they can stay fused indefinitely, no matter how much energy you use, all because Tokitoki city is outside of the flow of time." Paolina replied with a smile. "I could spend Centuries in Tokitoki and still not age a day."
Twilight nodded. "Wow, and you... helped fix time there?"
"Absolutely, I was recruited by Shenron to help save time from collapsing."
"Who's Shenron?"
Paolina put a hand on her chin. "Well, he's the only dragon I've personally met, and even that was only once... He's a giant green dragon, his entire body could likely stretch over several miles, he's super sleek and serpent-like... with these deer-like horns on his head and a really nice-looking pair of whiskers on his face."
"He sounds powerful..." Twilight replied as the quill started to sketch a description.
"Oh he is... by gathering seven magical orbs called the Dragon Balls you're able to summon him and he will grant you a wish... there are a couple limitations, but he's really powerful." Paolina explained. "...The only thing I've seen that he can't do is kill people, but I don't know if it's because it was a personal taboo that the creator of the Dragon Balls had, or if he's not actually able to do so... but he can bring people back from the dead, Many people actually... and when Dende became Kami of Earth he was able to bring back people from the dead multiple times just by sacrificing one of the three wishes that he would've been able to grant."
Twilight's eyes seemed to sparkle with interest at the brand new topic on a subject that had never been heard of before in pony history. "That's amazing! I could spend all day listen-... huh?" She paused mid-sentence as the ground seemed to rumble, a shout from outside made her quickly leave her seat, followed closely by Paolina.
"STAMPEDE!!!" Shouted Rainbow Dash from the sky as a herd of cows were quickly making their way to Ponyville, Paolina's eyes narrowed as she put two fingers to her head.
the moment she vanished from where she stood at Twilight's window was also the moment she appeared next to Rainbow Dash. "Okay... best way to stop the herd without killing them..." She muttered.
Rainbow dash chuckled and put a hoof on Paolina's shoulder before pointing towards the stampede. "Don't worry about it, AJ's got it covered." She explained as the Saiyan let a confused look watch the group of cows as a dog and orange mare made their way to the head of the herd. Paolina's expression switched to impressed as the orange farm mare used her lasso to turn the head of the herd and in turn make the rest of the stampede swerve away from the little town.
Once everyone in town had realized that they were safe everypony began to cheer for the mare that helped save their town from certain doom. "Wow... you ponies really do celebrate just about everything around here... don't ya?" Paolina asked the resting pegasus next to her.
Dash stretched out a little bit like a cat on the cloud she was laying on before curling up for her post-lunch nap, "Yeah, It's what happens when you live in the same town Pinkie lives in, everything is a cause to party for her." Dash chuckled as she flicked her tail and got comfortable. "Between my training and Pinkie throwing so many parties, I'm bushed... so if you don't mind, I'll be taking a nap until that announcement of Twilight's is ready."
Paolina nodded a little as she began to float down to the town streets, this time none of the ponies seemed to mind her. "Well... whether it's because of the event that just happened or them getting used to my power around here, I'm happy they're not all just diving for the nearest cover." she sighed mentally as she began to walk back to the Library. She rubbed the side of her face with a hand as she started to let her mind wander, in its own way it was a new concept now that she wasn't just trying to go from battle to battle to get stronger. "...Why am I even here? I know that I was a good distraction for Nightmare Moon... but... from there everything just seemed to be playing out on its own... I probably didn't even need to interfere when Twilight was running from that crowd... She probably would've just teleported back to her library and spoke with her friends there..." She slowed to a stop just to lean against the wall. "...what am I doing? I should be back at my home training for the next big threat... and here I am, in a small town just watching as perfectly-equipped ponies do what they need to in order to make the world run as it always had..." She slid down the side into a sitting position, kicking up a small cloud of dust as she landed, sighing as she continued to let her mind wander.
She was brought out of her thoughts as a stallion cleared his throat nearby, causing her to look up and look at the large, red stallion holding his hoof out to her. "...You want some help up?" He asked with a genuine smile on his face.
"I'm able to get up on my own..." She replies a little hesitantly, only causing him to smile a little more.
"I know... but sometimes it's easier to have some help..." he replied simply as she took his hand, letting him help her to her feet. "You want some work to take your mind off of somethin'?"
Paolina smiled at him as they started to walk. "What kind do you have in mind?"
"...The kind that don't require talkin'... or worryin'..." He replies.
She nodded a little bit. "I could use some work like that... it's going to be a bit before my garden's ready to grow, I might be able to learn some tips with you..."
"So... Applejack told you that she didn't want to hire any extra... hooves... around the farm this year because..." Paolina started as she drove her trowel into the dirt to dig up potatoes.
Big Mac sighed a little as he dug a row over, "...Because of last year, I tried to get us some help by hirin' some Minotaur workers who were passin' through... they demanded payment up front and I was able to haggle them to half up front and the other half when the job was done... but when they were supposed to come to help the whole group of them skipped town and left us late on the harvest..."
"That's rough... I can see why your sister wouldn't want the same mistake happening again."
"Yeah... Most ponies in town would be happy ta help... but all of them are workin' on making their own living and we just don't feel right asking them to stop what they're doing just so we could get some help on the farm."
Paolina hummed as she started to dig just a little faster, "I can actually understand how you feel... Back where I'm from... Planet Plant... in my dimension we rose in rank based on how hard we worked and how efficient we are on the battlefield. Saiyans who hadn't lost their tails in battle usually proved to be stronger, but with enough hard work a Saiyan like me could rise to be on almost the same level as the royal family." She got up and dusted off her gi as she stood so that she could go to the end of the row with Big Mac, "...It was hard for anyone to ask for help because we would rise on our individual merit much more often, teams were raised based on if they all performed well, any member found wanting would remain at their station or even fall to a lower rank if their team mates completely overshadowed their part."
"Musta' been rough..." Big Mac grunted as he kept harvesting.
"Actually, it was pretty easy living. Saiyans are born to fight, as a warrior race we keep our physical peak much longer than most others and are able to adapt to most environments. It's in our blood to get excited over the chance to fight..." Paolina replied as she went down the row with the large stallion.
"Can't say I see that in you..." He stated as he looked up at her for a moment. "You seem the right nice, quiet type."
Paolina gave a small chuckle. "That's only because the one enemy here who got my blood boiling for a fight isn't a threat until she regains her strength..."
"An' who might that be?"
"Princess Luna..." She replied, to the stallion's astonishment. "...I hope to fight Celestia as well... but I can tell that she's in a league all her own. Just thinking about fighting and training alongside those two... it just gets me so excited."
"What makes ya think that you'll just be able to fight the rulers of Equestria?"
"Because... When I was fighting Luna in her Nightmare Moon form... she practically handed me my ass on a silver platter, she was so strong that I ended up in the hospital with plenty of broken bones and in a near-death state..."
Big Mac's eyes widened a bit as he paused mid-shovel. "An'... an' yer walkin' around like it was nothin'...?"
"Oh no, I'm still sore in a couple places... while a Sensu bean is really good at healing, your muscles can still remember a bit of the pain. But for the most part I have a clean bill of health, with a Zenkai boost to help." Paolina replied with a smile as she kept digging like he was following her, getting him to shake his head and get back to digging up potatoes.
"Z-... Zen-kai?" He prodded.
"Mhmm, it's a boost that Saiyans get after recovering from near-death that helps their power spike up." She explained as she got to the end of the row, using her arm to wipe some of the sweat from her brow. "Oh wow... we're done with the potatoes already? I would've thought from the size it would've taken us at least another hour."
"Well, when we got good help we can get everything done quicker than we expect." Big Mac chuckled as a little yellow filly with a mane as red as her brother's coat came over to the pair with a tray of lemonade glasses balanced on her head. "Thanks Applebloom." He says with a smile as he takes one of the glasses.
"Yer welcome Big Mac!" She piped up as Paolina helped take hold of the tray so that they could have the remaining two glasses. "What's yer name miss?" She asked the Saiyan before taking a sip of her lemonade.
"My name is Paolina, it's good to meet you Miss Apple Bloom." the Saiyan replied, causing the filly to giggle.
"It's just Apple Bloom, I'm not an old mare yet."
"No, I guess not. You are really adorable though, I don't know why but even grown ponies look adorable." Paolina laughed as the three of them began making their way to the house.
"Are ya stayin' fer dinner?" Apple Bloom asked as she quirked her ears.
Paolina gave a nervous chuckle. "Hehe... I wouldn't dare impose..."
"It's no trouble, you did some honest work out there with me, we can even discuss yer payment after dinner." Big Mac explained with a gentle smile.
Paolina shook her head. "I'm sorry Mac, Saiyans have a REALLY big appetite, probably enough to put a full grown dragon to shame, I wouldn't feel good about putting your family out like that, and like I said before, I have a ton of money that I could get converted to bits whenever I needed... I don't need payment, just friends."
"Well, consider yerself more than that Paolina... I'd be happy to consider ya an honorary Apple." Big Mac replies.
Apple Bloom let out a gasp. "I have another sister!" She squealed with joy as she leapt up to hug the Saiyan, who chuckled and began petting the excitable filly in kind.
"That... I can live with." Paolina replied as they got to the house. "I'll see you guys tomorrow... Corn field?"
Big Mac nodded as the Saiyan took to the air. "...Eeyup..."
Paolina let out a small chuckle as she quickly took to the air, her eyes locked on a small blur that streaked along the skyline from just off of the center of town before it landed at the Library. Her curiosity piqued she quickly angled herself towards the library and soared through the air towards the Library.
Once she arrived though she definitely noticed something off about Dash since she's sprawled out on the floor in a daze and half buried in books. Paolina quickly lands and knocks on the door to the library before Twilight lets out a greeting as the door opens. "Hey Twilight, is Dash okay?" She asks with a bit of concern as she helps Spike and Twilight dig the dazed pegasus out of the pile of books.
"I don't think so... and I believe I know just the mare that I need to talk to about it..." Twilight lets out a small sigh. "I hate to ask, but can you help Spike take care of Dash until I get back?"
Paolina nodded a little before the librarian unicorn quickly made her way out of the library and back to the farm that her friend was at. Paolina gave a small sigh as she helped hoist Rainbow Dash onto one of the couches. "Hey Spike... what's the diagnosis?"
Spike blinked a little before quickly starting to examine Dash. "Well... she's been through a lot worse than this... likely just bruising... but you may want to get her to a hospital."
"No problem... I'll be right ba-... actually, Twilight would kill me if I left you alone, you should come too." Paolina hesitated as she hefted Dash over her shoulders. "Put your claw on my belt."
He nodded a little before gripping the cloth sash, watching as his surroundings immediately seemed to switch from the inside of the library to the local hospital. "Good job Spike, just wait here a second and I'll be right back." Paolina said with a smile before making her way over to one of the nurses to speak about getting some treatment for Dash. Spike had seated himself in the waiting room, just getting comfortable, before Paolina returned with a smile. "She's gonna be okay, but she'll be staying for a few hours just to be sure the bruises aren't cause for something worse."
Spike nodded a little and shifted in his seat. "So... I guess we're going back to the library?"
Paolina smiled. "Yep, we just have to wait there for Twilight."
Paolina leaned back on one of the kitchen seats, "So... you've never tried any sort of meat before?"
Spike shook his head as he continued working on a meal for the three of them, once Twilight got back, "No... Princess Celestia offered to have one of the griffon cooks make something to see if I liked it... but I could see that Twilight wasn't all that comfortable with it, so I said no."
"Well, that's good of you to not want to make your friend uncomfortable, but you really should try it. You do have quite the number of teeth made purely for eating meat."
"Maybe... but, I don't want to force Twilight around something that makes her that uncomfortable." Spike replied.
"You know, for a 'baby dragon' you really are quite mature." Paolina pointed out as she watched him make several plain cheese omelettes, dextrously adding in a few spices and herbs that made the entire kitchen smell amazing.
"Well, it comes from having such a bookworm as a sister... who also raised me... I had to read a lot of books." He chuckled with a slight blush.
"It certainly shows, those omelettes smell amazing." the Saiyan praised.
Spike shrugged. "Twilight often has really long study binges so I had to learn how to cook so that she wouldn't starve herself to death on the quest for knowledge."
"That sounds about right... if the fact she lives in a library is anything to go by."
"We've only been living here for a short time and she already has most of the library memorized." Spike complained a little. "I wish she'd take a break from books for a while so she could hang out with the girls instead of keeping to herself so much."
Paolina's eyes widened a little. "Oh, well... I could help get all six of them to train with me, they'd get super strong."
"I don't think Twilight would go for it..."
"What if I started with you then?"
Spike turned to her in confusion as he removed the omelette he was working on from the stove. "What do you mean?"
Paolina smiled at him. "One of my friends is making his way to the old Kami's Lookout for this world, and if I'm right, there's likely to be a Hyperbolic Time Chamber there. It's a great place to train, and I could bring you with me so that you could show the results of training with me, thus motivating the girls to do the same."
He put a claw on his chin, thinking it over. "But...well... I would like to, I just don't think Twilight would let me..."
She smiled as she got up. "It doesn't have to be immediately, since I still need to find out if Cello can get the position of Kami here... but I bet that she'll let you."
Twilight sighed as she got back to the library. "Why does she have to be so stuborn!?" She let out a growl as she opened the door and nearly slammed it shut behind her. "Doesn't she see that she needs help!?"
"Not many blessed with the gift of strength find the gift of humility as well, stubborn people just don't feel like they need help or need to ask for help." Paolina answered from a nearby seat, causing the unicorn to leap a little in surprise. "Come on, Spike made some dinner, a little light in my preference but it does smell really good."
Twilight let out a sigh as she calmed her racing heart. "Alright, I'll be right in."
Author's Note
With how long this chapter is, and how I found it to be a great way for character development... just... wow... I didn't expect the chapter to be this long.
Let me know what you all think, I love hearing feedback from my readers!
and btw; I'm having trouble coming up with a better title for the story, so if any of you have any ideas I'd love to hear them and if we're lucky your title idea may just become the new name of the story
Episode 8: Applebuck Season Part 2
Paolina stretched with a long yawn as the morning rays hit her, she picked herself up from the guest bed in one of the side rooms and quickly went to work making the bed. Once satisfied she ran a hand through her wild hair that always seemed to stay in the same style no matter what she did. She began to hum a little to herself as she stretched, making her way out of the room with a small smile and a yawn. "Oh, today is a wonderful day..." She groaned out as she felt some of the tensing in her muscles ease away.
Spike chuckled from his seat in the reading area. "Yeah, I bet it's going to be awesome today!" He cheered as he closed the comic he was reading. "Twilight even went out to see Rarity so I bet she's going to come back with a huge load of gems!"
Paolina let out a small chuckle. "I hope she gets back soon, I've got to help Big Mac out in the corn fields."
"I thought Applejack didn't want any help on the farm?"
"She's only tending the apple orchard, not the rest of their crops. I'm helping Big Mac because he asked for the help." Paolina explained. "Maybe you'd like to come with me? it would give you a chance to work out a bit more instead of sit around reading books all day. I'll even be able to head out sooner than I thought."
"Well... could we have breakfast first? I was hoping to get some pancakes..."
"Don't worry, I'm sure Apple Bloom would be happy to help with breakfast, if you're not able to harvest, you might be able to keep her occupied so that she doesn't happen to trip us up trying to do more than she can."
Spike nodded. "Just let me make a note for Twilight then." He picks up a small scroll and a quill so that he could let Twilight know that he's going to be at Sweet Apple Acres. After signing off with a small flourish he rolled up the scroll and put it right on Twilight's current stack of books she was studying. "Alright, let's go."
Paolina put a hand on his head as she put two fingers to her forehead, making the two vanish from the library to reappear at Sweet Apple Acres. "Let's go see what they need help wi- Whoa!" Paolina pulled Spike out of the way as Applejack sped past her, running a tad erratically as she made her way into town. "...what's she in a hurry about?" Paolina asked with rising curiosity.
"Sis jus' thinks she's gonna be late ta help Pinkie Pie with bakin' today. She's one of the best bakers in town!" Apple Bloom explained as she leapt up on to the nearby fence.
"Did she sleep at all last night?"
"Nope, she's been up the past couple o' nights just buckin' apples." Apple Bloom replied.
Paolina let a small frown show before smiling again and looking over to Apple Bloom. "Hey, Spike wanted to help with breakfast today, got room in the kitchen for a dragon?"
"Of course! Granny'd be happy to have him helpin'!" Apple Bloom cheered. "Come on Spike!" She leapt down from the fence as the little dragon gave his Saiyan friend a look.
"Don't worry about me Spike, I'll be helping Big Mac in the corn fields, just help them whip up an awesome breakfast and I'm sure we'll be fine." Paolina smiled as she gave him a pat on the head, helping to lead him toward the house.
Paolina was moving at a very quick pace down a row of corn by the time Big Mac arrived at the field. He pursed his lips a little as he started to pick corn as well. Both of them were silent as they worked, Paolina picked up her pace as she started to simply think again.
"You didn't have to start on the corn before breakfast if ya didn't want..." Big Mac stated simply as she started to pass him again.
"...I know..." She replied just as simply as she slowed down a little. "I just wanted to have a bit of work before breakfast, and this was a great way to get the sleep out of my system."
Big Mac nodded a little as he continued picking corn. "AJ's workin' herself too hard..." He says after a few minutes.
"I thought so, you gonna do anything about it?"
He shakes his head. "When she's in a mood like this it's better to let her tire herself out otherwise ya might be on the receivin' end of a strong hoof to the muzzle."
"Yeah, one of my mentors was the same way, angry at the universe and if you tried to tell him to calm down he'd fly into a rage and try to break every bone in your body." Paolina chuckled as she made her pace even with the stallion's. "But he was a good guy, wouldn't take any trash talking about his family from anyone... he even managed to deck lord Beerus a good one because the god had smacked his wife."
"Beerus?" Big Mac questioned with a raised brow.
"One of my other mentors, he's a god of destruction. Not evil, just, it's in his nature to destroy things... part of the job description he would say. He's a real sweetheart when you get to know him, and give him a good scratching behind his left ear." the Saiyan chuckled.
"What did he teach you?"
"He taught me a couple techniques, only one of which I still use... but I know he wasn't going anywhere near all-out when I was fighting him. I was able to fight pretty evenly with what was possibly half of his actual strength."
"Interestin..." Big Mac commented as they continued along the corn field.
Paolina smiled as she worked, happy to have someone to talk to if she needed it. For the rest of the day the both of them continued working in silence, sharing a passing glance every now and then to check how much progress was left on the field. Big Mac couldn't have been happier, he finally had a worker who appreciated the work just as much as his family did and not once did she want payment... admittedly that last part was one that made him feel kinda bad for taking advantage of her generosity. Every time he pushed the issue though, she seemed just as stubborn as Applejack when it came to not accepting the payment.
"Thanks for giving me the opportunity to think..." She said with a smile as she dusted off her gi, "It helped me a lot, so... I'm gonna take Spike back to Twilight, good luck getting Applejack to share the apple orchard." the Saiyan chuckled as she walked back to the house with the large red stallion.
Big Mac nods a little. "Happy ta help, somepony who's mood is down isn't able to help themselves, so they just need a little push in the right direction."
Paolina walked into the house, followed by Big Mac, only to come to a full stop as she noticed the state that the kitchen was in while an elderly green mare was snoring in a rocking chair nearby. "...S-Spike?" Paolina called hesitantly as she and Big Mac stepped warily into the hazard zone now known as the kitchen.
A pile of dough wiggled a bit before Spike's head popped out. "Uh... Hey... We... we ran into a small snag with lunch... hehe..." He chuckled sheepishly.
Paolina rolled her eyes as she took a bit of the dough between her index and thumb finger before popping it in her mouth. "I'll say... you didn't add enough salt, and had more mix than flour." She critiqued as she helped pull the little dragon out of the dough before setting him off to the side, putting some flour on her hands and hefted the dough onto the counter. "Plus side is the heat of the oven will still kill off any bacteria... but adding a few other things wouldn't hurt." She quickly went to work kneading the dough. "Where's Apple Bloom?"
"Applejack came back to the farm a little bit ago so she took a glass of lemonade out to her..." Spike replied.
"That's good, that mare could really use a break..." Paolina said as she kept kneading the dough. "What exactly were you looking to use all this dough for?"
"Pizza! Of course!" Spike replied with a bit of feigned indignance. "Only one of the greatest culinary perfections in the land and the Apple family has one of the largest ovens to be able to create such a perfect specimen."
Paolina gave him a confused look. "Pi-... OH! That, sorry, it took me a minute to remember what you were talking about. I guess some food types make their way across dimensions." She chuckled as she rolled the dough into a large ball. "Do you have the sheet for the pizza then?"
He nodded and pointed to a metal tray that was hanging precariously over the edge of one of the counters.
"Well, get it over here so I can spread the dough out." the Saiyan ordered as she picked up the ball of dough. "You have the sauce and various toppings, right?"
Spike nodded as he went around the kitchen grabbing several bags. "they're not gems... but Apple Bloom said they'd be good on the pizza."
Paolina took one and gave it a curious look. "...Marinated apples?" She turned to the stallion in the doorway, who simply shrugged amiably at her look. "well... I gotta give it to you apples... you certainly know a ton of ways to use an apple."
"...Eeyup."
Paolina chuckled before she began to spread the dough out on the metal pan. "you know... I've been here for nearly two months now and I haven't done any serious training since I got here..." She mused as she lined the dough up with the edges of the pan. "...Spike, I hope that Twilight agrees to let you train with me, because I could use a sparring partner."
"You... wait, sparring partner?" Spike asked with confusion.
"Yeah, you make more progress initially when you're training with someone stronger than you, and then both fighters can make better progress training together competitively than they can solo." Paolina chuckled.
Spike looked at the bag of marinated apples in his claws before he flexed each one individually. "...How much stronger...?" he asked quietly.
"I believe the exact wording Trunks used when he asked how much I could lift was..." She took a moment to make her voice sound a bit more like Rainbow Dash's. "...'Can't you bench-press a planet yet?'..." She started to laugh a bit once she was done with the imitation. "A bit of an exaggeration, but not a far cry from what I can do. I could easily lift Canterlot off the mountain it's embedded in if I wanted to."
Spike's eyes widened. "no.. way..."
"Yeah, it's a really great feeling when you know you can lift a mountain if you wanted to. And you'll get to train with me once Cello becomes the Kami of this planet." Paolina smiled as she finished prepping the dough and took the bag of marinated apples from Spike so that she could spread the topping on the pizza. With a quick motion she got the pizza in the oven and had Big Mac set an egg timer for twenty minutes. She was in the middle of washing her hands as Spike clambered up onto the counter.
"So... you mean it? you... really do want to make me stronger?" He asked as he nervously played with his claws.
"Of course I do Spike, I want to make everyone stronger... It's no fun when you're the strongest." She smiled as she rinsed her hands.
"What do you mean?"
Paolina gave him a smirk. "When you always know you're going to win, you get bored of fighting pretty easily because there's no chance you'll lose." She explained as she dried her hand on a nearby towel. "Let's get this mess cleaned up..."
The little dragon nodded, quickly getting a broom and dustpan to help clean. They both cleaned in silence, the only sound being heard was snoring from the other room, before Spike spoke up a few minutes later. "...Will I be able to fly?"
"Of course, but that would come a bit later." Paolina replied as she finished cleaning a section of the kitchen. "First we would have to start with teaching you how to manipulate your Ki though."
"What is Ki?"
Paolina bit her lip a little as she tried to come up with an explanation for him. "The most basic definition of it... would be your life force... It gets a tad more complex than that, but that's pretty close." Paolina replied as the two nearly had the whole kitchen clean. "You have to be able to bring the energy that is inside your body into a technique... Sadly enough this tends to lead to a really, REALLY big appetite when you start using a lot of techniques at once, but it's only because you're burning off a lot of energy by using them."
He nods a bit as he keeps looking at her inquisitively. "How much energy does it take? Is it like a dragon's inner fire?"
"...Yes actually, it's a lot like that. While you might not be able to destroy a planet with your fist, you can focus your energy into a powerful-enough burst to rend a planet apart... I did that one time... it got Lord Beerus to smile a little." She finished with a slight blush.
Their attention was diverted as the egg timer went off. "Welp, pizza time!" Spike cheered as he went over to the oven to pull out the pan, surprising Paolina with just how heat-proof he could be. He quickly set it on a stone countertop so that it could cool. "Wow, even without crushed gemstones it smells amazing!"
Paolina took a deep whif of the smell as well, "Yeah, I'm sure Applejack would be happy to dig in with us!" She says with a broad smile before the side door to the kitchen swings open to reveal Apple Bloom drenched in lemonade.
"...She kicked the tray..." Was all the filly said before hoisting the tray into the sink and making a quick exit.
Paolina bit her lip. "...I'm sure it was an accident... but... it would probably be a good idea to find out what's up... I'll be right back Spike."
Spike nodded. "See ya in a bit."
Paolina took to the air once more as she looked for the mare of the farm, spotting her lazily trying to buck the apples off of a small dead tree. She landed nearby with a slight frown on her face, "Applejack... What's going on?" She asked, hoping that the mare would realize on her own just how much trouble was being caused by her stubbornness.
Applejack took a moment to realize she was kicking a dead tree, "Nothin's goin' on aside from harvestin' apples for Apple Buckin' season." She replies curtly as she makes her way to another tree.
"AJ, Apple Bloom came back to the house soaked in lemonade... I really don't think that was part of apple harvesting."
"It was an accident, I missed my kick an' accidentally hit the tray instead... nothin more..."
Both the Saiyan and Pony turned as Twilight game galloping up the path to them, heaving and panting a little from her sprint. "Apple-... Applejack..." She panted, stopping a few paces away. "I... I just came... from the hospital..." She takes a moment to compose herself. "Applejack, I just got back from the hospital and there are a bunch of ponies with food poisoning because of whatever you made with Pinkie!"
Paolina quickly narrows her eyes at the farm mare. "...you... had the audacity... to make food... that makes ponies sick!?" she shouted loud enough to make both ponies wince. "That's it! You're coming with me!" She quickly wrapped her arms around the orange mare's body and hefted her over one shoulder, much to the mare's displeasure.
"Put me down! I still have one tree left!" Applejack shouted as she struggled against the Saiyan's grip with no success.
Paolina gave an irritated sigh. "AJ... You still have three fields along with that one tree, you're only about half-way done." She explained, causing the mare in her arms to stop struggling as she looked back over to the fields she thought were empty. "One downside to having such a large yield is that it certainly does take more than one pony to get everything picked." Paolina looked over to Twilight. "Get the girls, AJ needs some help and I would appreciate it if you five could get started while I have a talk with little miss stubborn here."
The violet mare gave a quick nod before dashing off to get the rest of her friends, leaving the Saiyan to walk back in silence as she noticed the suspicious lack of movement from her friend. With a curious look she shifted Applejack's position to find out that the mare had finally exhausted herself too much and had fallen asleep on the Saiyan, Paolina chuckled a little and hefted the mare back over her shoulder before she got to the house.
Applejack woke up and nearly leapt out of her bed when she finally regained enough energy to become conscious, as she sat though she started noticing that she was actually in her room... and not in the field... as well as the fact that Paolina was sitting in a nearby chair as she got up once the farm mare had. Without a word the Saiyan took a few strides to get to the bed and sat down next to her friend.
"...Applejack... we need to talk..." She started quietly as she pulled the mare into a close hug. "It doesn't matter how strong you are... everyone could use help every now and then, not even I am exempt from that... I've had my fair share of help to learn and grow. Doing something like this... it hurts your family and friends just as much as it hurts you."
The orange mare grimaced a little as she hung her head with her ears drooping.
Paolina lifted the mare's chin up to look her in the eye. "You've got friends who are more than happy to help... All you have to do is ask." She pulls her into a hug. "You're not alone, so you don't have to act like that's the only way to live."
Applejack sniffed a few times before accepting the hug. "...Where... Where's the girls?" She asked weakly.
Paolina smiled a bit as she pet AJ's blonde mane. "They're almost done with the last orchard, They might want some lemonade."
The farm mare smiled a little as she wiped the moisture from her eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I'll get it ready." She quickly got up from the bed and made her way carefully downstairs, leaving Paolina to her thoughts.
She chuckled a little. "...Only sixteen and already I feel like my mom..." She mused as she looked out the window to the orchard where Twilight was wrapping up the picking while the others helped sort and carry the apples. "...This world may bend to the will of the ponies... but it can only bend so much before you can't bend it anymore..." Paolina sighed as she gazed past the orchard to the everfree. She thought of how wild and untamed it was while all that surrounded it was controlled with practically an iron hoof, it was fighting against the will of the ponies with the will of nature itself. In a way... she admired its tenacity and could understand a little bit about how it felt.
She gave a small, hollow chuckle. "Should I stop training for a while? everyone here is either out of my league... or too weak... Why can't there be something in the middle? Something that's a challenge..." Paolina closed the blinds before making her way downstairs with a distant look as her thoughts began to swirl around and have her mind try to focus on each passing one.
"...Maybe one day..." she said quietly. "Maybe one day I'll stop training... I just don't know when that day is..." With a small smile she made her way out to the field to help pass the lemonade around.
Author's Note
Wow, I love my Applebuck season chapters... so... much...
They make me feel like I actually managed to accomplish something because of how long they are. I can only hope to keep making chapters so inspired.
Comments? Questions? I love to hear 'em! I'd even like to know a few things that you guys would like to see. And for those of you asking about Demon God Dumplin.... well... that will be answered later.
For those of you who are wondering about the sudden shift in maturity rating... well, since I typically am writing this story one or two chapters ahead of what I have submitted, it's due to future content being risque... in a sense. So I'm bumping this up to mature but I hopefully don't plan on adding in the gore tag, and if I do add the sex tag it will only be due to T-rated intimacy scenes... because I suck at Pr0n.
Episode 9: Griffon The Brush Off
Paolina let out a slight groan as she got up from her bed, She slowly shifted into a sitting position to look out the window. A few birds could be heard in the distance but for the most part it was quiet. The Saiyan had gotten the serv-bots that came with the new house to start up the garden so that she could continue training... but there was just something about this world that caused her to stop training as often as she used to. It took a few minutes of her thinking quietly before she finally found the reason why she was so bored.
"...I need some sort of big threat..." She groaned, knowing that without some sort of big obstacle like a time-destroying demon lord to try and defeat she just wasn't motivated enough to continue training as hard. Paolina gave a sigh as she got up and walked out to the kitchen. Even the serv-bots hovered quietly, waiting on her to give them orders as she simply walked around the house nude. Why was she not wearing anything? She was out in the middle of nowhere, She was a saiyan that was proud of the scars on her body, it was her house and she would do whatever she damn-well pleased? any of those reasons could have sufficed since she really didn't care... the serv-bots didn't judge her... the animals didn't judge her... She had no real responsibilities at the moment... Even trunks hadn't given her any information on who was altering time in an attempt to take over the world.
So what was she going to do? She had no clear enemy, she had no particular reason to go anywhere...
"I think I should go see Spike..." She mumbled as she went to her room with the bottle of water she had taken from the fridge. In minutes she had changed into another one of her Saiyan battle suits, this one modeled after the one Prince Vegeta had used when he came to earth with Nappa, and ordered the serv-bots to keep working on the garden. Aside from that they were given free reign to keep the place orderly and occupy themselves with whatever caught their fancy.
She took her time with the flight to Ponyville, deciding not to break the sound barrier would take her a little over an hour to reach the town, but lately she wasn't in any sort of rush. Everything in Equestria seemed to just be so relaxed... her radio wasn't picking up crimes in progress... although that could be because Equestrian police likely used magic instead of radios... Or something like that. She let out another sigh as she watched the lush landscape of Equestria pass by quickly under her. The sound of the wind whipping by her at her speed drowned out everything as she simply enjoyed the feeling of not being bound to the ground, simply defying the law of gravity as she used her ki to keep herself suspended in the air.
Even that feeling had begun to lose its luster here...
She was a warrior, she had to fight...
But there wasn't anyone to fight... no one that was on her level... none that could give her a challenge and possibly beat her... so... why was she here? To play the knight in cloth armor when the big bads came around?
"That couldn't possibly be the reason..." She muttered to herself. "It would only make them weaker if they depended solely on me..." She took a deep breath before she noticed ponyville coming into view. She picked up her speed just a bit and cut most of it once she approached the town, gliding gently down to the library and knocking on the door once she alighted on the doorstep.
"I've got it!" Came the voice of the little dragon she had taken to considering a real friend here. She smiled as the door opened to reveal the pint-sized lizard, whose smile broadened before he leapt at her. "Lina!" he cheered as he managed to get a grip on her waist. "I missed you! What's up?" He chuckles from the hug, eliciting a chuckle out of the alien warrior.
"I've just been training like usual, nothing too hard since there hasn't been anyone who needs to get a personal relationship with the ground yet." Paolina chuckled as she hugged the little dragon back. "Is it just me or have you grown a few inches?"
He lets go and lets out a half-sigh. "No... But Twilight said that I should be growing any day... it would help... if I hadn't been this size for the past three years..." He lets out a partial frown at the interior of the library.
"I'm sure you'll start soon... Can I come in?" Paolina asked with a warm smile.
He looks to her with a small laugh. "Of course, it is a public library after all." He explained, making his way inside with a chuckling Saiyan in tow. "Want something to eat? or drink?" He asked as she closed the door behind her.
Paolina thought about it for a second. "I'll go with some tea... doesn't matter what kind, if you don't have any I'll just take some water."
Spike let out another chuckle. "I don't like the stuff, but Twilight got the habit from Celestia so we have a bunch of different types... I don't mind the peach tea so much, but most of them just leave a bad taste in my mouth."
"Yeah, it does take a bit of getting used to... but the more you drink it the better, it really does help in the long run."
Spike was about to respond when the door to the basement opened up, letting the violet unicorn in charge of the library into the living room as her horn lit up and closed the door behind her, locking it with a tiny *click*. "Oh! Paolina! It's good to see you again, what brings you here?" She asks with mild surprise.
"It's good to see you too Twilight, I was a bit bored around the house so I decided to stop by and check on my favorite little dragon." The Saiyan chuckled, causing spike to blush and pout a little as he quickly made his way to the kitchen. "Anyway..." She continues with a slight sigh, taking a seat on one of the couches with a slight slump before leaning back into the upholstery of the couch. "...I don't know what to do... Back in Tokitoki city I could just train whenever I wanted and more often than not I'd be able to fight with anyone I wanted to... but here..." She takes a deep breath as Twilight sits on the couch next to her, squeaking a little in surprise before melting at the Saiyan's touch when a spot just behind her ear was scratched and she let out a happy hum. "...Everyone is either too weak or too strong... No one is here to give me a challenge and I was wondering... something..." She starts to trail off as she lets Twilight come back to her senses.
The violet mare blinks a few times, partially wanting to get Paolina to scratch behind her ear again, "What do you want to know?"
"Well, my friend Cello is going to become Kami of this world soon... and... if there's a chance there's a room similar to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber from back home... I wanted to see if I could bring Spike with me to train." Paolina gets quiet as she notices Twilight slowly straighten up.
Twilight starts to narrow her eyes a little. "And why would you want to bring Spike with you?"
Paolina lets out a small sigh. "I'm not going to lie here... This whole plan sounded a lot better in my head but... I want to turn him into my rival." She says causing Twilight to get a slightly confused look. "He has a ton of potential, I can sense it... what he doesn't have is the opportunity here to practice that potential without hurting someone. I want to give him a place to become his own hero without putting those he cares about at risk."
"How long?"
Paolina smiled a little as it seemed the conversation wasn't turning out as bad as it could have been. "A month..."
That caused Twilight to raise a brow. "A month? A month and he'll be as strong as you?"
"I hope so... he might not be quite as strong, but he could also possibly become stronger, the challenge has had me interested and excited to see just how much potential he has that can be tapped into."
"And when will you want to take him?" Twilight asked as she got up from the couch.
Paolina got up as well. "Sometime after Cello becomes Kami, So it's not going to be immediately."
Twilight took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds. "I'll think about it... He's still a baby dragon... and I don't know if he's ready to do something like that."
Paolina nodded. "No problem, all I ask is that you consider it... I'm happy to help train him to be stronger, and it would help alleviate the boredom I've been having since I started helping around here." She smiles.
Spike's mouth was open a little in shock as he listened against the entrance of the living room, the water for the tea was still waiting to warm up, so he had decided to see if he could listen in on what Paolina and Twilight were talking about. In a way, he was certainly happy that he had...
"Twilight's really thinking about it! Twilight is REALLY thinking about letting me train with someone that strong!?" he had to contain himself as he nearly started skipping over to the kettle with a smile on his face. The more he thought about it though, the more he started to wonder how Twilight would be able to handle herself without him. Seriously! She would go on study binges and forget to eat, if it weren't for his careful diligence as her number one assistant then she would've likely starved herself with her thirst for knowledge. It was a lot to take in at once, at least it wouldn't be for a while... hopefully...
His mind began to daydream as he got the teapot ready, he had done stuff like this so many times that he could perform most of his duties even while his mind wandered... sadly it got him yelled at quite a few times by Twilight for not listening, that's when the instructions seemed to make their way into his dreams so that he could convincingly not pay attention.
Spike stood above a mountain, his form larger, bulkier... his chin was chiseled to perfection and his spines were as sharp as ever. With no problems he could've easily dwarfed any stallion that tried to stand before him. And what luck! There was an army of every race on Equis making their way towards the confident dragon, simply making him smile as he roared to the skies, causing most of the closer soldiers to hesitate before he leaped from the cliff, picking up speed and reaching the front of the army in seconds.
He only had pants and a cape on, but that was all he needed. The front ranks of the pony soldiers nearly broke and fled just at his descent, all it took was a few punches and rapid kicks to leave most of the close ones unconscious while the rest fled in terror, letting him stare down a legion of minotaurs that had griffons as air support.
It was foal's play as he simply weaved through the minotaur forces, delivering a punch here and a kick there, disabling as many as he could before many of them turned tail as well, leaving him face to face with the minotaur leader... a Big, Hulking brute of a bull who simply pointed at the imposing dragon so that the griffons in the air could shoot him with crossbows.
There was no use though, as the bolts simply bounced off of Spike's tough scales, he inhaled deeply as the griffons were busy reloading. Several noticed the dragon's chest expand with air and quickly scrambled through the air, alerting the others to what was going to happen. Fortunately many of them were already scrambling away as Spike let out his emerald flames, encouraging them all to leave as many of them acquired singed and smoking tail feathers.
He smirked as he looked back at the remaining enemy, as well as behind the minotaur leader at the beautiful Lady Rarity. "Oh Spike! Help me away from this ruffian! Just look at what he did to my mane!" she wailed against the collar and chain that connected her to a large throne atop a battle wagon.
"Don't worry Fair Rarity, I shall handle this curr, then I shall help you from your binds." Spike replied with a deep voice and suave coolness.
"Hah! Don't even think about it... you got no chance, Dragon..." The minotaur said as he pulled a necklace of huge teeth from his side pouch. "I got these teeth from every Dragon I had slain, I'm a professional dragon hunter, you ain't got a chance." He laughed as he let the necklace dangle from his muscled hands.
Spike smirked. "I've defeated dragons too, usually because I have a technique that most dragons don't."
A sudden metal bending snap caused them both to stop and turn to look towards Rarity with a unison "...huh?" before their jaws dropped in shock.
Paolina was standing there holding Rarity like a fantasy hero would hold a damsel he had rescued dramatically. "Hope I'm not late for the party boys..." she chuckled before bringing her hand up to let a sphere of blue energy shoot from her hand to the minotaur to cause a small explosion at his chest and send him flying a few feet away.
"Gah! Oh no! You... Killed... Me...! ...Bleh..." He groans out before going limp, causing Paolina to chuckle again.
"You should probably wake up Spike... Good imagination though." Paolina giggled before the dragon blinked to find himself standing in the living room a few feet away from his caretaker and his friend.
Twilight was giggling a little as Paolina opened her eyes, smiling at him with a wink that caused the dragon to blush again. "It's alright Spike, You didn't miss anything important this time." Twilight giggled before she took a drink of tea.
"Yeah, If you want you can join us, that way you can work on getting accustomed to tea." Paolina chuckled as Twilight scooted over a bit on her chair to give him room to sit next to her.
Spike smiled a little, although he still had a light blush, as he sat next to the purple unicorn he had known all his life. She was practically his mother... and she acted so much like he was her own foal that he was sure that if he ever got a brother, he'd have to compete to be Twilight's number one assistant. That wasn't so much of a problem though, as Paolina and Twilight continued to talk he began to lose focus again as his eyes traced Paolina's form. The skin-tight bodysuit left little to the imagination and the fact that the armor molded around her chest did the same as he found himself simply letting his eyes examine every inch of the Saiyan's toned body. His mind wandered back to his dream, the way Paolina had been holding Rarity... he felt strange about it... a tad jealous that he hadn't gotten to hold her that way but at the same time... a way he couldn't explain. It wasn't quite like what he felt around Rarity... but the more he thought about the image, the more he was simply happy he was friends with Paolina.
Everyone was called to attention as Pinkie burst into the room speaking a million words a minute in quite a huffy attitude, Spike blinked a few times as he quickly got up to get the pink mare some water... instinct telling him that was what was needed at the moment.
By the time he got back out into the living room Twilight and Paolina had managed to calm the party pony down a bit and she took the glass of water he offered with a polite "Thank's Spikey." Before turning her attention back to the Saiyan and unicorn. "Her friend Gilda is so mean! She told me to buzz off when Dashie and I already had plans, I was even willing to include her in our plans... but all she wanted to do was keep Dash away from me!"
Twilight let out a small sigh. "Pinkie... Gilda is a friend that Rainbow Dash hasn't seen in quite some time... What if she just wanted to spend some time discussing hobbies that they shared in flight school? Pinkie... what if Gilda's not the rude one... what if you're just jealous?"
Pinkie gasped and looked like Twilight had just slapped her with a fish, why? It didn't matter why, she just got smacked with a fish! "Me!? Jealous!?"
Spike was biting his lip to keep the bad joke in, it took so much willpower... but in the end, he couldn't help it as he clambered up the back of the couch. "Yeah, you might just be green with envy... or in your case, pink with envy." As much as he knew the joke wouldn't help, he couldn't help but feel just a little bit better and more secure now that he knew he had a good supply of cringe-inducing jokes to fall back on.
Paolina groaned and facepalmed as Pinkie started to bluster. She tried to recover from the bad joke before Pinkie stormed off, but it was too late as she had just recovered as the upset party mare slammed the library door on the way out. Paolina gave a quick glare to Spike, who simply shrugged, before walking over to Twilight.
"You may be right on this Twilight... but sometimes it's better to think about why your friends would throw around such accusations... Pinkie's not normally the type to get this upset at someONE... maybe someTHING, but for as long as I've known her she's practically found a way to become friends with everyone in town just because she loves to be friends." Paolina explained. "I'm going to go see this Gilda for myself to see why Pinkie would act like she did."
Twilight sighed as she hung her head a little, "It's not like I can agree with Pinkie... I've never met Gilda."
"And I'm not saying that you should blindly agree with her, just that you shouldn't jump straight to the conclusion about your friend being jealous." Paolina replies before she heads out and takes to the air.
Twilight looks over to Spike, who simply gives her a shrug. "Don't expect an easy answer from me... for the most part they're YOUR friends."
Paolina spent the better part of twenty minutes searching for Pinkie before a roar in the marketplace caught her attention. "Aw crap... right now? Really?" she groaned a little before speeding off to the marketplace. She landed quickly in the square behind a strange lion-bird-eagle-thing as she caught the end of its' speech.
"I'm getting out of here, too many lame ponies in one place..." she scoffed before flaring her wings and taking to the air.
Paolina watched the creature with curiosity before a shout got her attention. "Linny! Are you okay!?" Pinkie called as she raced over.
The Saiyan nodded a little. "Yeah, I'm alright... although just call me Lina if you're going to use a nickname... What in the world was that thing?" Paolina asked with confusion.
"That's Gilda the Griffon, She made Fluttershy cry right before you got here! Can you make sure she's alright? I want to get her ducks safely to the lake so she doesn't have to worry about them." Pinkie explained with a pleading look in her eyes.
"Of course Pinkie, I'll head right over... I'm pretty sure you'd be better at getting those ducks rounded up than me anyway." With a small nod Pinkie dashed off and Paolina took to the air in order to look for the yellow pegasus. She spotted the mare just outside of ponyville and almost at her home. "By kami do these ponies run fast when they're scared..." she thought with astonishment before angling towards the shy mare's home and animal shelter. Several animals had already formed a type of perimeter around the house by the time the Saiyan arrived, much to the warrior's continued surprise, with several of them letting out warning growls as she approached.
The saiyan held up her hands. "Chill... I'm just here to make sure Fluttershy is alright..." She explained, letting out a small breath when they made a little path for her yet still kept their warning growls, just daring her to try anything funny. In a way, that got a lot of respect... a few days of living in this world had let her know that the non-talking animals had just slightly more of a connection to ki sensing than the talking ones, Winona had been terrified of the Saiyan at first too... but after Big Mac and AJ had convinced the dog that Paolina wasn't going to hurt her, the farm dog had quickly warmed up to the warrior. So it was a small shock to see so many animals willing to fight against power like hers for just a chance to keep her away from the pony that took care of them. She smiled a little as she got to the door. "I promise... I'm just here to help..." She said quietly as she tried to open the door... only to find it locked.
She quickly knocked on the door a few times, the refusal of an answer only caused her to frown a little before putting two fingers to her head before she vanished from the doorstep and reappeared about a foot away from the sobbing mare. The sudden appearance of the Saiyan made her squeak and stop sobbing as she flinched away. A little white rabbit leapt up in front of her and held its arms out as if to block the mare from some sort of attack. Paolina's look softened a bit before she sat next to the buttercream mare, ignoring the bunny's protests, and pulled her into a hug that caused the shy pony to squeak in embarassment. It only took a few seconds though before the tears started up again and Fluttershy was crying onto her Saiyan friend's armor and had the warrior in a tight hug. Paolina simply pet the mare's mane and let her keep going for as long as she needed to.
Fluttershy wiped away the stray tears that remained once she had finally regained her composure. "T-thank you..." She quietly stuttered as she stood back up.
Paolina put her hand on the mare's shoulder. "It's no problem... I consider all six of you friends... I like to make sure my friends are alright." Their attention turned to the door as there were a few sharp knocks right before two letters slid under the door. Paolina quickly walked over to the letters and picked them up, opening the one that was addressed to her. After unfolding the letter she began to read it out loud.
You are invited to a special party to help welcome a very special guest to Ponyville! Our very own Rainbow Dash will be bringing the guest of honor and I hope that you will come to make Gilda the Griffon feel welcome here in ponyville so that she doesn't have to feel like Rainbow Dash is her only friend!
The party will be held at Sugarcube Corner in four hours and will have games as well as full catering. Hope to see you there!
At the end of the letter was Pinkie Pie's signature with a drawing of a happy cupcake. Paolina smiled as she looked back to Fluttershy, "I think we should go..."
Fluttershy immediately shook her head. "I don't want to be anywhere near her... She was mean to me in school... and... and... she roared at me in the marketplace..."
Paolina pulled the shy pegasus into another firm hug. "It'll be fine, you're gonna have me there to make sure that mean griffon gets a beak-full of dirt if she tries to hurt my friends."
"But I wouldn't want you to hurt her because of me..."
"I wouldn't be, I'd be hurting her because of her." Paolina smiled. "It wouldn't be anyone's fault but her own. Now come on, you need to get cleaned up and presentable." Paolina encouraged with a smile.
Fluttershy had her head lower than normal as her wings twitched every so often, ready to have her run at any moment if that griffon tried to roar at her again. The reassuring hand of her alien friend was enough to keep her from simply running away as they walked to Sugarcube corner, it was... relaxing... like Paolina knew exactly where to touch in order to help ease most of her tension. Soon enough the pair made it to Sugarcube corner and the shy pegasus was greeted by Twilight.
"Fluttershy! You've met Gilda already, please... tell me what she's like."
Fluttershy felt her heart, or possibly the contents of her stomach, leap to her throat as she fought the urge to run again. "I... I'll tell you later Twilight.." She dodges and quickly makes her way to the back of the party area.
Twilight turned to Paolina, the Saiyan simply gave a shrug and followed the meek pegasus in order to make sure she enjoyed the party as much as she could. "Oh!" Paolina said just as she passed Twilight. "By the way, where's Spike?"
"He's over at one of the booths... I think that Pinkie got him a plate of Amethysts before she went back to finishing preparations."
The Saiyan nodded and began to look for the booth that Spike was at, sure enough she spotted the dragon sitting alone and spinning one of the gems on the plate sadly. She quietly sat down across from him. "What's up Spike?"
The little dragon let out a sigh. "Nothing much Lina..."
"It doesn't sound like nothing, come on... tell me about it." The Saiyan prods as she picks up one of the gems and examines it.
"Well..." He starts as he sits up a little. "...It's really complicated..."
"It's only complicated when you keep it in your head, talking to someone else can help simplify a problem..."
He nods. "I... I don't know what to do... It's not easy for me to make friends here... I can't say that I had a bunch of friends back in Canterlot, but I did know a few ponies there. Here? Here colts tease me for being around girls so much... and Fillies are all grossed out that I'm a boy... None of them understand half of what I'm saying so I'm too much like a grown up for them... but Twilight still treats me like a hatchling..." He takes a rather curious bite of the gemstone, his teeth snapping it in half before he tosses up the remaining half and he catches it with his mouth to chew on it like rock candy.
"So... You're not friends with Twilight's friends?"
He made a half-grimace. "...Sorta... They're more her friends because whenever something happens I'm still stuck in the library with cleanup duty." the little dragon shrugged a little. "It's not a big deal, for the most part they just go off to do girly things... and it gives me plenty of time to read... I just get... bored..."
Paolina let out her own chuckle. "It seems we may have a bit more in common than I thought then. Ever since the end of that battle with Nightmare Moon I've just been too bored to do anything."
Spike was about to say something before the lights dimmed and the two of them were shoved under a table by Pinkie Pie. It wasn't long before the guest of honor walked through the doors causing everyone in the room to shout "SURPRISE!" She hadn't registered it at first but Paolina was surprised at just how many ponies were able to fit in one room, yet they were all still standing comfortably apart.
At first Gilda had jumped a little at the surprise before she quickly recovered her composure. "Well Dash, you were right about it being a decent surprise."
It took a few minutes for the party to get into full swing but once it did the only one really not enjoying the festivities was the sole creature that the party was supposed to help. Gilda was simply standing over near Rainbow Dash not participating in any of the games that had been started and not really bothering to talk to anyone else. Every so often though, she did take a glance over to Paolina, it only seemed to be when the Saiyan had begun focusing her attention on the Griffon as well. With how often she was looking at the same time though Paolina couldn't help but get a certain feeling deep in her gut... one that she listened to more often than hunger and managed to survive most run ins because of...
It was the feeling that she was about to throw-down, that soon enough she would be getting into a fight and she would have to be ready. Woe betide anyone who made that feeling go off, because it usually meant that person was going to get a rough relationship with the nearest solid object... which in most cases was the ground.
Her train of thought was soon broken as Pinkie wheeled in a large cart full of gifts. "Woah... I wonder who got her all of-... oh yeah, Pinkie... duh..." The Saiyan quickly resisted the urge to facepalm as she gathered with the rest of the crowd as Gilda went to open the first gift... Only to have a bunch of fake snakes pop out with enough force to ruffle the Griffon's feathers on her head. A few of the members of the crowd started to chuckle and one even said that she had that same prank pulled on her at her birthday.
Paolina noticed the one sentence that the griffon growled though. "...yeah... I bet I know who that was..." as she passed a venom-filled glare at the pink party pony, who seemed blissfully unaware that there was a dangerous carnivore standing only a few feet away. Much of the party continued on without too much of a problem despite the prank... that was, until Gilda decided to try one of the lemon drops.
The moment she popped it in her mouth her eyes started to water and her cheeks puffed out, to be honest Paolina had been surprised at the whole cheek-thing, before she let her mouth open and spewed a gout of fire into the air like a small dragon before making her way over to the drink table to grab a glass of something to drink.
Paolina had simply stared in shock until she heard Pinkie giggling. "Oh! Pepper in the lemon drops! Classic!" The Saiyan turned to the mare and gave her a look like she was crazy.
"Pepper?" She said with disbelief as she went to pick up one of the drops and popped it into her mouth. She could taste the black pepper that was sprinkled on them, sure, but nothing hot enough to make a literal gout of fire happen. "What the hell did you put on hers? she literally sent up fire like a dragon!"
Pinkie simply smiled at the alien warrior. "I didn't do anything to them, I had one myself, it just had pepper on it. I think she might be a spice-lightweight." Paolina sighed as the black pepper taste faded from the lemon drop she had just before she noticed the death glare that Gilda was giving Pinkie. The look changed as Rainbow Dash walked up to her friend and the Griffon tried to cover up the glare she was just giving, that was also the moment where Paolina noticed the yellow stain on the Griffon's chest.
"If Pinkie's not careful... that bird's gonna try to murder her... and then I'll have to curb stomp a Griffon..." as she finished the thought though another one crossed her mind as the Griffon tried blowing out a number of candles on the party cake, despite them re-lighting. "On second thought... keep it up Pinks... I want to see if she's worth the effort..."
It wasn't long before Pinkie announced a new game that was being set up. "Heh... pin the tail on the pony eh? probably to make it less offensive to donkeys or something..." She was about to step up to the game when Spike called out that he wanted to use the purple tail, only for Gilda to send him flying with the excuse that she should use the purple tail as the guest of honor, making Paolina dive to catch the little dragon. Once he had landed in her arms and managed to send them both to the ground she checked him over a little to make sure he was okay. "You're good... right Spike?" She asked with concern as she checked his head and arms for injuries. "Nothing hurt?"
He let out a sigh and quickly pushed out of her grasp. "Just my pride..." He replies with a slight frown as they both watch Gilda's attempt at avoiding a prank.
She only managed to take a few steps before slipping on some cake that had been on the ground and screeching as she slid along the floor into the rest of the cake to make a mess and get cake all over most of the closer ponies. Gilda let out a groan and held her head as she sat up, cake sticking to her wings and starting to stain her coat.
"Uh Gilda? The tail is supposed to go on the other end..." Pinkie said sheepishly as everyone started to notice the tail stuck to Gilda's face in the shape of a western movie villain-stache. Once the Griffon noticed where the game piece was and put together what happened she started to scowl, then shake, just before taking to the air and letting out another roar.
She looked down in hate at Pinkie, sheer anger seeming to radiate off of her. "I can't believe I came to a party with such a lame bunch of ponies! You call those pranks!? A hatchling could pull those off!" She landed right in front of Pinkie. "And you! Trying to use all these pranks to humiliate me in front of Dash, Well...! It's not going to work Queen Lame-o!" She gave a huff and started walking towards the door. "Come on Dash, We're leaving..."
At the lack of response she looked back over to the cyan pegasus. "Dash, Come on!" she growled.
"Gilda..." Rainbow Dash started. "...I'm the one who set up those pranks..."
Pinkie let out a gasp. "Ah-Ha! I knew it! That can of worms prank had Dashie written all over it!" She cheered.
At that Gilda seemed to deflate a little and get nervous. "C-come on Dash, you gotta be kidding?" She stuttered a little. "S-she's the one who set all this up! She wanted to make me look bad in front of you!" She practically pleaded.
Dash let out a small sigh. "Those pranks weren't all meant for you, it was just dumb luck that you happened to set them all off." Then she had a bit more of a frustrated look. "Besides... you don't seem to need help doing that."
Dumbstruck, Gilda looked between the earth pony and pegasus before scowling. "Fine! I don't need you anyway, When you decide you want to be cool, come and find me." She scoffed as she made her way to the door. "I'm outta here..." Just as she flexed her wings as if she was going to take off though, she shuddered, which caused Paolina's fightan' feelin' to come back as she tensed up. "No..." Gilda said cooly just before turning around, the sclera of her eyes a pitch-black and her pupils a sharp red. "On second thought... I'll just deal with the problem..." She growled before seeming to vanish.
In the span of just a couple of seconds Paolina was now standing in front of Pinkie, one claw that was outstretched pinned under one arm, the Griffon's beak only a few centimeters from her own, and one fist vertical against the Griffon's chest. In one smooth motion her stance changed to a 'forward-bow' stance while she twisted her fist to a horizontal position and seemed to simply push on the Griffon with it.
With the sound of a drum beat accompanied by the snapping of the swinging doors at the entrance to Sugarcube corner Gilda seemed to have disappeared right out the front door. Paolina straightened up and turned to Mr. and Mrs. Cake. "I'll fix those doors when I'm done dealing with her..." She explained quickly before dashing out the door.
Twilight and her friends managed to quickly recover and quickly followed suit, standing just outside the door as Gilda began picking herself up from the dirt. Rainbow Dash looked over at Paolina in confusion. "What's going on? Why are Gilda's eyes like that?"
"Well, my dear dash, that is mind control, the source... I don't know... but there's only one good cure that I know of because the Supreme Kai of Time diagnosed it before and had me treat it."
"What's that dear?" Rarity asked as the group formed up around Pinkie once Gilda let out another roar as violet flames exploded around her.
"The only cure is a good, strong punch to the face." Paolina replied with a broad grin just before she rushed the controlled Griffon, with Gilda mimicking the dash with a growl of her own. The Saiyan's grin quickly faded as the Griffon was able to keep up with her own speed, albeit with a bit less power behind her punches, so that Paolina couldn't land a hard enough hit as they began to rise up into the air.
Every punch seemed to either graze a few feathers or only hit air as the augmented Griffon would dodge and weave around her attacks, only to counter with strong claw-swipes. Each swipe didn't have enough power behind it to deal serious damage though, so the boost must have focused on her speed. With every second the battle continued going though, Paolina's excitement began to grow.
With a quick exchange of blows and blocks the two of them split in mid-air and hovered at least a good thirty feet off the ground. Paolina smirked at the possessed Griffon. "I gotta admit... I wasn't sure I'd ever find anyone here that could get somewhere near my speed..." She starts, getting an indignant 'Hey!' from Rainbow Dash. "... But it seems that's all you have..."
Gilda narrowed her eyes as she tried to keep her breathing even. "Oh yeah!? how come you're panting harder than I am?"
Paolina smirked. "Am I really? Or do you just think that I am? Do you really think that your new abilities can go toe to toe with a Super Saiyan?"
Gilda growled a little as she tensed up. "I don't have to find out! I'll just kill you here!" She shouts before moving as a brown blur towards the Saiyan. All of the gathered ponies gasped as it seemed the Griffon was about to be true to her word, only for the Saiyan to vanish the second the claw was about to hit and reappear behind her with one hand raised. One swift chopping motion to the back of the Griffon's neck was all it took to send her rocketing to the ground and skip off of it a few times, landing with a groan in a large pile of dirt.
Paolina landed just in front of the Griffon with a smile. "Good work... excellent speed, but you need to work on your power." Gilda only let out a groan before the dark violet aura faded like smoke and she passed out. Twilight and her friends quickly ran up as the aura faded, slowing a few feet away from the pair as Twilgiht took the first cautious steps towards the two.
"Paolina... what happened?" the violet mare asked as she gave the unconscious Griffon a wide berth.
"She was possessed by a powerful magic-user, There's only been two people I've known that could possess like that... but she didn't quite show the same traits... I think it might be a good idea to get the princesses informed on this." Paolina let out a sigh. "Now... if only we had a place to put her in case the power boost only deactivated while she's unconscious."
Gilda let out a groan, causing Twilight to flinch away and for Paolina to tense, she slowly brought a claw to her head as she seemed to struggle just to sit up. "Ooh... I feel like I got hit by an air tram..." she groaned out, letting Paolina relax a little.
"You got in a fight with someone who could break a mountain... and surprisingly managed to hold your own for about a minute."
Gilda looked up quickly with surprise. "W-what? But... what happened?" She let out a pained squawk as Rainbow Dash zoomed over and hugged her.
"Gilda! Are you alright?" She asks quickly, much to the predator's confusion. "Gilda, I might want you to fix your attitude, but you're still my friend... Nothing will change that."
Paolina tapped the cyan mare on the shoulder. "I think it might be a good idea to have us take this somewhere a bit more private... there's still a few details we have to work on."
With a nod Rainbow Dash quickly helped her friend out of the dirt pile and escorted her back to Sugarcube corner, sitting her down at one of the booths as Paolina unclipped the capsule case at her hip and pulled out one of the senzu essense capsules.
"Spike, I need you to get this information down for Celestia..." Twilight instructed, with the little dragon seeming to pull a sheet of paper and a quill from nowhere. "Good, now... Paolina, what did you mean earlier that Gilda was possessed?"
Paolina sat across from the Griffon in question and let out a small sigh. "Back when I was brought to Tokitoki city originally, two time travelers used magic to go back in time and attempt to mess up the timeline... Their names were Towa and Mira, two residents of the demon realm..."
For the next couple hours Paolina explained about how Towa had been the one to use magic in an attempt to alter the timeline in a way that would throw the future in disarray, though her possessions had given those she possessed a boost in every attribute instead of a specific one. Her bodyguard, Mira had been the muscle on their missions until Trunks had assisted Paolina in destroying Mira once and for all during Majin Buu's ascension. While Twilight did ask a bit about some of the other details, the group kept mostly to the topic of Paolina's encounters with possessed fighters, moving on to the difference between Demigra's possession method and Towa's.
"...Overall, while they both boosted every attribute, Demigra had a much larger boost. So far it seems that whoever's doing the possession in this dimension is only focusing on one attribute instead of all of them... I can't say for sure though since I wasn't able to gauge Nightmare Moon's abilities before the boost..."
Twilight nodded, looking over to Spike and the long letter he had written up. "Good... anything else you would like to add?"
"I think what I have to say will be better in person..." Paolina replied. "I'll be heading to Canterlot soon so that I can speak with the Princesses. Aside from that... I think I might have to start training with Spike a bit sooner than we had hoped Twilight..."
Rarity quickly stood. "What do you plan to do to our little Spikey Wikey?" She asked with more than a hint of suspicion. Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash looked on in slight confusion while Gilda was absolutely lost.
"Like I told Twilight earlier, My training is better when I have a sparring partner, and I can sense a lot of potential in Spike. Dragons are forces not to be taken lightly back where I'm from so I'm hoping he has what it takes to help me protect this world. Besides, if there is a room like at the old Kami's lookout then only two people will be allowed in at once, otherwise I would train all of you at the same time."
"What in tarnation are ya talkin' about Paolina...?" AJ asked as she slid out of the booth next to Rarity.
Paolina let out a sigh. "I'm going to put it bluntly... if I wasn't here, Gilda would've been taken control of and then would have proceeded to kill Pinkie... and likely the rest of you. For now I want to train Spike so that he could deal with threats like what happened to you, Gilda..."
She clears her throat. "So... That... That could happen again?" Gilda asked nervously.
"Not likely, I've already proven that I'm way out of your league even with the power boost... if whoever controlled you thinks like most villains, he or she will be searching for someone even stronger to boost in order to make them stronger than me, because if they can beat me, the only defense left will be the princesses. The only reason they would try with you again would be either out of desperation, or to unleash it again when we least expect it to happen."
"How long would you be training with him?" Rarity asked with a bit more concern.
"I doubt it would take longer than a month if Cello is able to acquire the right facilities... although if the right ones aren't available it could take considerably longer..."
Twilight tilted her head. "How long?"
"Well... it could be anywhere from several months to a few years if the lookout that Cello will be getting doesn't have the right room..."
Twilight blinked as she leaned back in her seat. "That long..." she stated quietly.
"Well, only on a less than ideal training area..."
"Come on Spike... We... We need to get home, we need to get this information to Celestia..." Twilight says as if in a daze, The dragon following behind her with a sheepish smile.
Paolina puts a hand to her head as she takes a seat nearby. "... Please Cello... Please become Kami soon..." She looked up as she felt a hoof on her shoulder, her eyes met ocean-blue ones.
"Thanks... for saving me and not hurting Gilda too much..." Pinkie says in a much more subdued voice than normal.
"Don't worry about it, I like to save people, especially if I get to rough up a troublemaker in the process." Paolina replied as she smirked at Gilda. "Besides, she wasn't in control of her actions... I couldn't simply destroy her for that."
Gilda felt a small stab of guilt in her chest as she watched the monkey-creature, no... Saiyan, smirk at her. Was she actually in control of her actions? The more she thought back to it the more she began to remember what happened between her dismissing Dash and landing in that pile of dirt with more bruises than she ever had before in her life along with what had likely been a few fractured ribs and a strained neck.
She slowly looked over at the Cyan mare who had been by her side during the whole exchange, one hoof on her shoulder the entire time, "... Am I really the cool one?" she thought numbly as she had noticed Dash's entire body tense like a familiar Griffon she had known quite a while ago. "Here I am dismissing my oldest friend just because she made more friends after she left flight school... while I... While I..." She quickly wiped at her eye as she shielded her emotions under a mask. "Jeez Dash, it's so dusty in here, how can they sell pastries to anyone?"
"Huh... I coulda sworn I got it all... Oh well... OH! Gilda! We never got to get you a piece of cake before Spike jumped into it! I'll be right back!" With the actual sound effect to match Pinkie zoomed out to the kitchen of Sugarcube Corner, confusing the Griffon with how she would still want to be so nice.
Dash smiled. "That's Pinkie for ya, she's happy to be friends with everypo-... One..." the pegasus corrected at the last moment.
Fluttershy let out a small yawn. "I think I should be getting back home... I've gotta put angel to bed, see you tomorrow girls."
"See ya Shy." Rainbow Dash replied as the petit mare got up and made her way out the door.
Gilda thought more about what happened as she saw Pinkie Pie coming back out. "Hey Dash... Mind if I crash at your place for a bit...?"
Rainbow Dash elbowed her side. "Alright, but if it's more than a week then you gotta look for a job around town." She chided, getting Gilda to let out a nervous chuckle. "But seriously though..." Dash continued with a straight face.
Author's Note
Well... I had several ways I thought this chapter was going to end as I wrote it, a few more one-liners that I wanted to add... but all in all, I think a nice 7K chapter like this is nice.
Yay for Gilda redemption! Sorta... slightly... just a bit...
Episode 10: Kami of Equus, A Test of Skill!
The mountainside was quite chilly as the marble-skinned namekkian walked up the snow-covered path to the castle embedded in the side of the mountain. Why hadn't he flown inside? Mostly because he was admiring the imposing architecture as he walked closer. He could only smile a little as his gaze took in every feature of the castle, it was amazing... The base of the castle itself was nestled inside a ring of sharp peaks, from what he could tell the center of the castle was hexagon-shaped while there was a path at each edge leading to one of six different massive round towers that stretched for nearly two hundred feet. The most interesting part wasn't even the castle though... no...
The best part was the secondary structure located so high up in the atmosphere that even dragons of this world dared not go up. The lookout that Cello was making his way to the castle for seemed to have obtained its own miniature atmosphere at one point so that the Kami of the Lookout could have guests or students away from the prying eyes of the world.
He stopped just outside of the massive double doors that were carved in the likeness of a dragon, he smirked a little at a stray thought as he stepped past the threshold. "Hmm... I might just look into having a dragon as a steward if the pony doesn't work out... wait... can I have two stewards?" His mind continued along mostly the same train of thought until he reached a huge hexagonal chamber. He paused as the magical ring in the center of the room gave out a pulse. Slowly the symbols and the ring began to pulse with a steady beat while only making a gentle chiming sound.
A figure began to appear as the room seemed to fill with a fine mist... just before he began to cough. Cello blinked a few times and tilted his head as he watched the pony get his coughing under control.
The pony started to grumble. "Stupid mist, irritating me even after I'm dead!" He turned to look at the namekkian. "Who are you? Why are you here?" He barks out as he straightens the dark blue hat on his head that is patterned with lots of stars as well as various bells around the rim and tip.
Cello blinks again. "Really? You're the old Kami of this world?"
"Oi! I'm not old, I'm only one thousand and seventy-eight!"
"Is that counting birthdays only? or deathdays as well?" Cello replied with a smirk.
"Don't you even know who I am?" The pony asked with a slightly amused smile as he straightened his beard a little and started walking up to his guest.
"All I know is that you're Kami of this world, and that I'm here to help give this world a new Kami."
"All you know eh? Are you sure about that? It certainly sounds like you know how to be a smartass."
"I picked up a few things here and there." Cello replied with a smile. "So, what kind of test do I have to pass in order to become Kami?"
The pony put a hoof to his chin. "I think a good place to start is introductions." He holds out his slightly-transparent hoof. "Name's Starswirl the Bearded."
Cello nodded. "Cello, one of the remnants of the Dragon clan of namekkians."
"Huh, Namekkians? Never heard of ya." Starswirl replied as he lit up his horn and cleared the room of mist.
"Not many species do, it was only by chance that earthlings did."
"Well, lets head up to the lookout to figure out what kind of test to set up... you don't seem to be the magic type, so a test of magic won't work... I'm not a fighter... so a test of might is a no-go..."
"Actually, as part of the dragon clan, I'm quite learned in the ways of magic and I can create a set of dragon balls for this world."
Starswirl looked at him with a mixture of confusion and revulsion. "Uh... Sonny... We have plenty of dragons... we don't really need a set..."
Cello facepalmed. "No... The Dragon Balls are a set of spherical crystals that tap into a powerful source of magic in order to grant the one who brings them together a single wish."
"Oh... Really? And what kinds of limits are on them?"
"None actually..." Cello explained as the two of them vanished in a flash of light before reappearing in a courtyard. "...Since I'm more powerful than the Kami of Earth I could create a set of dragon balls that could be used for whatever the person who brought them together wanted. They're supposed to be an epic quest for mighty heroes to undertake so that they can wish for their heart's desire... but with the development of dragon radar technology back on Earth there was a... lot more abuse of that power."
"Well... Let's not use that as the test then... hmm... we need to think of something... oh well, how about I make you some tea and set up a nice game of chess while I try to come up with a test for you?"
Cello let out a small sigh. "Sure, but I was certainly hoping to become Kami soon so that I could help a friend of mine."
Starswirl raised a brow as they walked into the slightly smaller castle that made up the lookout. "A friend? You don't simply want to become Kami for the position itself?"
"Well, kinda, but for the most part I want to be able to help my friend train the new bearers of the Elements of Harmony."
"New bearers? What happened to the Princesses?"
"They lost their connection a while ago... With the recent return of Princess Luna the elements chose new bearers to use them."
"Ah... I see, it's good to know that those two lovely mares are still kicking." Starswirl chuckled as lit up his horn to start up a kettle of water and pull out a chessboard. His form took on a more substantial look as a halo began to fade into existence above his head. "Well... lets get our game started. I prefer to play the sun pieces if that's not a problem."
Cello shrugged, "I'm not too skilled at the game myself, so it's not a big deal for me." He sat down across from the stallion and watched as the pieces were set up, all of the white ones had a theme similar to Celestia and her royal guards, while the black pieces were modeled after Luna and her Thestrals. Starswirl set his first piece to move and from there an intense battle of strategy began.
Two Hours Later
Starswirl flipped the chessboard for what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour alone. "You lying S-O-B!" He exclaimed as he got up. "I knew you were lying about being a terrible chess-player!"
Cello raised a brow. "No... I am starting to think you just know less about the game than I do... I mean... trying to move your pawns horizontally? That's not how you play chess."
"I've lived longer than anyone else on this planet, excluding the princesses of course, I know damn well how to play chess!"
Cello shrugged as he picked up his cup and took a sip. "I'm still not convinced." He lets out another chuckle as he puts his cup back. "It would've been funny if you were trying to use these games as a test to see just how observant I am as well as my own strategic mind to find when my opponent is trying to do something sneaky." He smirked as he leaned back.
His smirk only grew once a slightly sheepish realization dawned on Starswirl's face and the pony began to rub the back of his head. "Well... ya see..."
"You sly dog... Nice try, but a good dragon clan namekkian is able to spot things like that a mile away." Cello explained as he sat up. "And up here I get to have a sense of the entire world just to give little suggestions to my friends and allies in order to counter future enemies' plans."
Starswirl gave the young namekkian a smile. "Well, I think that's more than enough to allow you to be the new Kami of this world." The aged pony makes his way out of the room, motioning to have Cello follow him. Once the two were back out in the main courtyard Starswirl turned back to him. "Young Namekkian... I have been asked by you to pass along the position of Kami, and after careful debate I have made my decision... Here, deep within dragon territory and far away from the eyes of the world so that none may influence you and your decisions, May you accept the position of Kami and guide the world away from destruction whenever within your power."
Cello nodded. "I wish to care for and protect this world for as long as I can, until even the last drop of strength has left my body, I will protect this world from those who would seek to destroy it."
Starswirl began to become more and more transparent once more as his horn lit up. "Then with this decree, I bestow upon you the mantle and power of Kami of Equus. May you guide this world to peace and protect it with every ounce of strength in times of strife." With one ice-blue flash a bolt of energy surged forward as Starswirl disappeared and struck Cello in the chest. The Namekkian grit his teeth as he could feel the surge of magical energy flow into his being, mixing with his Ki and giving him so many new sensations as his connection to the world began to cement further.
As the glow faded Cello gently landed back on the ground and examined his body, he quickly flexed his hands and noted the soft blue aura that surrounded him tinged with a slight green color of his original. He smiled as he struck a pose. "Yeah! This is awesome! This is great! I could fight a Saiyan with this power!"
"A Saiyan? They're still around? And they're strong?"
Cello froze with a stunned look on his face. "... What's going on?"
"Oh! This? It's a mental link left over from me transferring my magical essence into you. Don't worry, it's not permanent since I'm still in heaven... the link should fade, oh... sooner or later."
Cello frowned. "Just great..." He groaned.
"Look on the bright side, this allows us to swap magical notes without needing to worry about interruptions, I could even teach you a bit about Equestrian magic.
Cello simply let out another sigh. "...I need some pot..."
"...Pots of what?"
Cello rolled his eyes. "Really? You're really gonna be that guy right now?"
"Of course I am, I've been around nearly three times your normal lifespan, of course I know what pot is. Or did I simply give my position to an idiot who can't take a joke?"
Author's Note
Woohoo! Who here expected starswirl!? Y-you... you in the back? really? want a cookie? Yes? Well too bad! No cookie for you because you were a smartass!
For everyone else, I'd be happy to hear your feedback!
Episode 11: To Meet A Showmare
Leaving the town of Trottingham was what appeared to be a relatively modest-looking cart, led by a very proud ice-blue unicorn mare. She gave the sleeping town one last fond look before continuing on her way, her mission in the town complete as the cart itself rattled along the road. Her next stop was a small, backwater town called Ponyville.
"That will be a nice place for Trixie to make a few quick bits before heading to canterlot..." she thought to herself as she examined the map floating beside her. "Yes, a little heckling... a challenge here or there... Trixie will be ab-..." She was cut off mid-thought by a light appearing ahead in the road. She actually used the map to shield her eyes as the light increased before stopping as suddenly as it arrived. When Trixie finally lowered the map her jaw dropped a little as she examined the two figures who were slowly making their way toward her.
With a quick motion she had unhitched the cart and dropped the map before pointing her horn at the two strange creatures. "S-stay back! I'm warning you, you're dealing with the Great and Powerful Trixie! The most powerful Unicorn in all of Equestria!" They stopped a few feet away, the light from her horn revealed two very large and muscled creatures that looked similar to a cross between monkeys and minotaurs, but one only had a short, spiky mane on his head as far as hair was concerned, and the other one was bald except for a goatee framing his mouth.
"Oh good, you do speak the same language, that's definitely going to make the transition a bit easier." The first one replies, "My name is Toma, and this is my brother Gomo..." The Saiyan explains. "...We're on our way to a location called Ponyville to meet up with an old friend, would you care to point us in the right direction?"
Trixie hesitated, letting some of the glow of her horn fade a little as she turned her head up to get a better look at the two. The first was wearing some strange type of armor, but it was only a chestpiece with tassels, a furry belt and shoulder guards. His wrists and feet had covers that seemed to be of a similar material as the armor, but from his upper legs until the top of the boots he didn't seem to have any sort of armor, while most of his arms were just as bare as his legs. The second one seemed to be wearing a very fancy suit that did cover most of his body, the suit itself was a jet-black with a dark red undershirt and white tie.
"Yes madam, it is quite important... as my bride to be is waiting for me in that town and I would like my arrival to be a surprise for her." Gomo explains as he pulls up a picture of a very beautiful Saiyan.
"Actually... Trixie is already heading that way as her next stop... if you would like Trixie could hire you two as temporary bodyguards." the light-blue mare says as she gets herself hooked back up to her cart.
Toma lets out a small chuckle. "Why would you need bodyguards if you were the most powerful unicorn in this country?"
"Because... unicorns and other spellcasters from out of the country sometimes don't take well to Trixie's... popularity."
"Toma, we shall be her bodyguards for the time being." Gomo states as he cuts off his brother's reply. "I too know the pains of being a celebrity in a land of jealousy." He turns back to the showmare. "Off we go then, and perhaps we can trade stories, one celebrity to another?" He exclaims happily.
Trixie nods and brings up the map again as the three of them start walking off into the night.
"So Trixie, you said it was going to be how long until we arrive?" Toma asked as he walked alongside the light-blue mare.
"Keeping this pace you two should be able to infiltrate the town at nightfall before Trixie arrives in the morning, that way you can spread the tales of the Great and Powerful Trixie to entertain the masses before Trixie arrives to wow the ponies of Ponyville with her astounding magic." The unicorn mare boasted as she pulled the cart along. "But what will you two be doing after Trixie has finished her show?"
"It really depends, I know that my brother is going to try and propose to Paolina again once day hits..."
"And she will accept my proposal this time! I know it!" The sharply-dressed and very-muscled martial artist replies as he straightens his jacket.
"Yeah... and what attempt will it be this time? Tenth? ...Twentieth?" Toma asks with a chuckle.
"This will mark attempt number one hundred thirty-six." Gomo replies with a straight face before pausing to step on a nearby rock with one foot and point to the sky with a determined look. "She will accept my proposal and we shall be wed so that we can create the strongest breed of Saiyans the galaxy has ever known!"
Toma sighed once again as he prompted Trixie to keep walking, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "...She's not going to accept... she hasn't done it any other time... but... might as well let him keep his fantasy."
"Yeesh..." Trixie replied with a whisper. "And ponies say Trixie has delusions of grandeur. Why does he keep pursuing her if she has declined every one of his proposals?"
"Because he loves her... or at least says he does." Toma replied as he straightened up. "He's just so obsessed with how strong she is-..."
"I am not obsessed! I have an appreciation for her desire to become stronger!" Gomo shouted as he quickly caught up to the pair.
Trixie nodded a little. "Well, you two understand the plan? Pull this off and Trixie may even be able to pull in enough bits to pay you both for your protection service."
Toma quickly raised his hand. "We're fine, we may not stay in Equestria too long... We're just here to let Paolina know that we are available as backup for the mission she's on."
"Alright, well... Thank you anyways." Trixie replied with a smile as she trotted just a little closer to the clean-shaven Saiyan. "Do you know how long you will be staying in Equestria? Trixie could always use the company on her journey."
The armored Saiyan shrugged. "I don't know exactly how long, Gomo may be going back after we speak with Paolina because he's the Earth Martial Arts Champion, aside from that though... It does sound like an interesting idea. I'll get to view this world at a nice, leisurely pace... It'll be a nice break. I'll figure it out when it gets to that point."
The light-blue mare smiled a bit more. "Thank you for your consideration then, Trixie hopes that you'll choose to travel alongside her."
"I believe that earth and this world could learn something from each other..." Gomo started, gathering the attention of his traveling companions. "...But whatever it is, I haven't got the slightest idea." At his cluelessness the three share a nice chuckle as the day starts dragging to a close.
The three of them stood at the crest of a hill overlooking the small town, most of the townsfolk had already went to bed for an early rise the next day while a few still wandered the streets, enjoying a nighttime stroll or otherwise being the guards that patrolled during the night to deter thieves and other delinquents.
Trixie took a deep breath and smirked. "Too easy, Trixie will be having this town practically worshiping her by sundown tomorrow."
Toma chuckled. "I'm sure you will, until then, let's get some rest."
"Certainly! It would be terrible to meet with my betrothed while exhausted, I need to be in peak physical condition to be sure that she is ready for my proposal." Gomo stated as he lifted the cart, with the showmare attached, over his shoulder and set it down gently just off the road on a nice, flat area where they could get a fire started.
"It may be better for us to go in and talk to the ponies about you in the morning instead of tonight." Toma suggested to the unicorn after she got unhooked from the cart.
"...Yes, that may be a better option... rest up tonight, then speak with the ponies and awe them." She sighed as she used her magic to get some loose brush set ablaze after Toma had collected it. "Trixie is exhausted from the trip anyway."
"I could have pulled the cart for you..." Toma muttered as he sat down next to her, jumping a little as the light blue unicorn gave his arm a small, friendly nuzzle.
"Trixie understands. But the cart belongs to Trixie and you two were hired in case trouble started up, you wouldn't have been able to react as fast if you had to unhitch yourself from the cart." She explained, getting only an annoyed eye-roll in response. "But Trixie appreciates the offer..." She added with a small smile.
"I got the rations!" Gomo calls as he exits the nearby forest with a large creature slung over one shoulder.
Tomo gives him a curious look. "Are you sure that's edible?" He was about to continue before Trixie's stunned expression caused him to turn more of his attention her way. "You know what it is?"
She nodded slowly. "T-that's a Cragodile... but... Those things take nearly a whole Royal Guard platoon to handle a single one... was it dead when you found it?"
"Of course not! There's no pride in taking a corpse of another creature's victory, It took a single punch to the snout..." Gomo states with pride as he pounds his chest.
"That explains why the snout looks like it caved in." Toma muttered. "Might as well get it over the fire then."
That night, Trixie couldn't tell whether she wanted to be curious about the two Saiyans she decided to keep company with on her travel to Ponyville... or whether to be fearful of the appetite that split a full-grown, armored cragodile between the two as if it was simply some sort of giant crab that was buttered and ready to go.
She settled on a mix of the two.
Toma yawned a little as he simply followed behind Goma, the latter of which was passing out flyers among the ponies the two of them walked by. While most ponies seemed a tad apprehensive, all the giant Saiyan had to do was give a gentle smile and pass a flyer before continuing on, letting them both see more and more ponies that morning without causing some sort of uproar. The two of them were on their way to the Library by the time most ponies had begun crowding their way to the center of town.
The spiky-haired Saiyan smiled as he suppressed another yawn. "Good... Every-... Everything's going according to plan." He was about to chuckle a little before the larger Saiyan passed him the remaining flyers. "w-what?" He stumbled just before the Saiyan's suit jacket and undershirt landed on him.
"It's time for the One hundred thirty seventh proposal." Gomo replies with a neutral, serious look. He takes a deep breath, "GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO....!" He starts as he moves incredibly fast towards the area that Trixie set up for her performance.
Paolina chuckled as she watched the ponies gather around the stage that was set up automatically, the magic of an unknown occupant drawing it towards town square and unfolding it. The mane six, Spike and their Saiyan friend were just standing a little bit away from the crowd. "Well, I think it might be entertaining to see just how strong this unicorn may be..."
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "There's no way she could back it up, Just look at those special effects!" She says as she points out the lights that would go off similar to fireworks sparklers. "Ponies don't even need magic to make stuff like that, how much you wanna bet she's all show and no power?"
"careful Dash, you're betting against someone who can sense energy... You sure you want to make that kind of bet?" Paolina chuckled, causing the pegasus to land and get a slightly worried look about her choice of words the more she thought about what Paolina had been implying. "Come on, let's go see what all the fuss is about." the Saiyan suggested, getting nods of agreement from the others before they started walking over as a group. Something made Paolina slow down though, getting the others to turn towards her and notice her pensive look.
"What's wrong dear?" Rarity asked as she took a hesitant step forward.
"I... I don't know, it's like something I haven't sensed in a while is-..." She stopped as everyone began hearing a sound.
"What in tarnation...? Is... Is that gettin' closer?"
"...OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMO!" The shout grew in volume until the last two letters were punctuated by a very burly man did a forearm smash into the side of Paolina's face, sending her flying. Without missing a beat the large man took a single step before vanishing from sight.
Paolina recovered her senses after bouncing off the ground a few times, letting her momentum get her to her feet before bouncing up so that she was off of the ground as she used her ki to help slow her body's trajectory.
The girls, and Spike, were still stunned at what just happened... staring at the spot their friend and the burly man had been only a few moments before.
"Damnit Gomo!" The shout was enough to rouse them from their surprise as they noticed a similar, if not shorter, armored Saiyan running towards them with a stack of papers under one arm and a jacket and shirt over the other.
Dash cut him off as he drew closer to the group. "What's going on!?" She shouted, bringing her forelegs up as she got ready to box the new arrival, before a tug on her tail from Applejack managed to keep her from actually hitting him. The rest of the mares got into a battle-ready stance, except for Fluttershy... who bravely decided to hide behind Rarity's tail, and stood between the newcomer and the gathered Townsfolk.
The new Saiyan sighed as he ran a hand through his short black hair. "Sorry, it's just my brother... he's in love with Paolina and it's really hard to keep him under control when he is around her."
Spike was the one to speak up this time. "Wait... so that thing that just hit Paolina... was the guy who's in love with her?"
Toma opened his mouth to explain before a shout echoed through the town and caused a bright, yellow light to appear.
"GEOMETRY!!!" came Gomo's voice as a square beam of golden light shot up into the air at Paolina, engulfing her in a blast.
"We've gotta help her!" Dash called as she was about to take off once again, though Toma held her back this time.
"It's actually better if you stay here, Gomo only has the advantage at the moment because he took Paolina by surprise..." His calm demeanor was certainly enough to get a few confused looks as he stepped forward and used the point of his boot to draw an X in the dirt. "A few steps back please..." He says politely.
The others oblige just before a blur comes out of the air and sends up a dust cloud that several pegusai immediately get to work clearing, revealing Paolina standing with her arms crossed and frowning with disappointment at the Saiyan behemoth buried upside down in the dirt in front of her. She looks up at Toma and gives him a small smile. "Hey Toma, how's it going?"
He shrugs. "Oh you know... After the incident at Tokitoki work's been kinda slow... Work as a bodyguard for a magician in this world now."
"Really? Wow, how are you enjoying it here?"
"It's fairly good so far, I'm thinking about turning the temp job into a more permanent one though, it'll give me more of a chance to explore the place at an easy pace."
The legs of the huge Saiyan move forward together quickly, similarly to a kip-up just before springing the other way and using the momentum to loosen Gomo from the ground. He lands quickly in a crouched position before he straightens up, giving those gathered a very good look at his battle-scarred chest, arms and back before he turns to Paolina. "So... What say you to my proposal this time?"
Without missing a beat Paolina glares at him. "No, Just like the last hundred times."
"And just like the last hundred times I shall not give up my pursuit for your hand! I shall become stronger than you, and on that day you will accept me!" He shouts with bravado as he strikes a dramatic pose, bringing one fist up in front of his body as if it were a speech recited a thousand times.
Rarity leans over to Twilight as the large Saiyan continues. "Oh my... his manner of speaking... It seems so much more civilized than the brutish fighting that he was just participating in..."
Twilight simply gives a confused shrug. "Honestly Rarity... it's hard to try and make sense of the world outside of my books anymore... every time I rationalize it I'm worried I'm going to have a mental breakdown."
Paolina interrupts their conversation as she looks over to Toma with a sudden worried look, "Wait... If you two are here... and Cello is here... is... HE here?"
It took a few seconds before Toma processed what she meant before he laughed. "Oh no! Dumplin's not here, I think he said something to the Kai of Time about bridges before he just took off spouting a bunch of gibberish about demons. Kinda wish he was here though."
Paolina let out a happy sigh. "Good... I couldn't deal with his shenanigans if he got loose here, he was a pain enough back in Tokitoki during the fight with Demigra..."
They all turned their attention to the stage as more fireworks went off. "BEHOLD! THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!" The ice-blue unicorn called out with a grin
The showmare had begun her act by weaving a story about how she had single-hoofedly saved the town of Trottingham from a creature called an Ursa Major. Though some of the funnier tricks had begun after Spike called her out on the claim, having her challenge anyone in ponyville to a test to let her prove that she was better. First up had been Rainbow Dash, who certainly impressed as she did a very complicated trick involving hanging onto a windmill not just once, but twice. Once on her way up into the sky as she used it to help her momentum and allow her to pierce several clouds before using the sun to outline her athletic figure, then once more as she descended and used the spin to catch quite a bit of water and force it to shoot after her before she stopped on the stage and had the droplets mist off of her wings and create a rainbow above her.
And it was oh, so entertaining to watch the smirk get wiped off of her face as the rainbow spun her around like a top before a miniature thundercloud appeared and zapped the weather pegasus on her flank, causing her to yelp and shoot off. As much as Paolina knew it was bad to laugh about it... she also knew that the mare was alright and that she kinda deserved some of it.
Things took a much funnier turn as Applejack stepped up to the stage, somehow using her tail as if it was a prehensile limb and doing quite a few fancy lassoo tricks to make even ranchers back on earth a little jealous. Trixie's counter to AJ's show was to simply use one end of the rope like a wiggling hypnotic snake before making the other end quickly hog-tie the farm mare as the showmare used her magic to pluck an apple from one of the nearby trees and popped it in AJ's mouth, completing the look. The orange mare was left hopping off stage with a very grumpy look, Paolina had been sure to help get her off stage and untie her though.
Rarity had been the last challenge, spouting off about elegance and grace as she used the curtains on Trixie's cart to create a quite beautiful impromptu-dress... only for the whole image to be shattered within seconds as the blue unicorn lit up her horn and simply changed the color of the Fashionista's mane from a rich violet to a very sickly-green, allowing the fashionista to unknowingly insult a certain green-maned carrot-grower during her panicked exit.
"Any other challengers?" Trixie called with a smirk over the slightly restless, and admittedly-impressed, crowd.
"Come on Twilight! You just gotta do it!" Spike pleaded to his caretaker as he tugged on her leg.
She gently shook him off. "I can't show them now... I'll only be proving that I'm just like her..."
"Come on! Please!" He begged, only to get just as much of an adamant refusal as the last time.
The mare on stage though had a different idea. "How about..." She started, looking around before pointing at Twilight. "...You!"
Twilight jumped and squeaked a little before backing away shyly. "Uh- what?! Me? No! No no no nono! I'm nopony special... just a regular unicorn!" She blathers with a sheepish smile, quickly turning tail before she could be pestered further.
"Twilight..." Spike sighed as he watched her run. He turned up to Paolina as she put a hand on his shoulder.
"You should go keep her company... I gotta talk to Toma and Gomo for a bit."
The little dragon nodded before scampering off to try and catch up with his caretaker. Paolina watched him go for a few moments before making her way over to Toma, who simply gave her a small shrug. "Not my idea..." He tried to placate as a frown grew on her face.
She let the frown fade a little as she sighed. "Toma... I'm happy that you and Gomo are here... but... Half the time I don't even know why we're here in the first place."
Toma frowned a little as well before he walked with her over to a nearby bench so they could watch Trixie's show. "Lina... you gotta realize... We're here because at some point, we're going to be needed... You train to better yourself, Gomo trains to inspire others... But that's not what you wanted to talk about, right?"
Paolina leaned back in the seat. "I... It's hard to describe... ever since my first battle here I've had so few opportunities to fight stronger opponents and something about being here instead of in Tokitoki makes me want to relax more than train." She lets out a sigh as Trixie makes a flock of birds made out of light appear. "This world is so peaceful... There was a close call with Gilda, but I didn't even need to transform in order to fight her..."
"That's the thing when you get strong Paolina... anything less than a true challenge feels like a hollow victory... Maybe this is your chance to relax a bit and enjoy the world, that's what I'm going to use this chance for once Gomo heads back to earth to resume the title of World Martial Arts Champion."
Paolina looked at Toma in confusion. "When did he do that?"
"He went to the future of his timeline when Hercule was retiring from being a martial arts champion, he had this huge speech and everything ready for when the title fight happened."
The crowd was restless as the title fight for the thirty-first World Martial Arts was announced.
"And now! The moment you've all been waiting for! Our champion and hero Hercule!-" The announcer started, only to be cut off by a roar from the crowd. As the roar died down he continued. "And the rising challenger, Gomo!" The burly Saiyan slowly walked out of the waiting room side by side with Hercule. He was garbed in an orange gi styled after the Turtle Hermit's uniforms that Master Roshi himself used to train his students. Upon reaching the stage the gathered crowd once more cheered for their martial arts champion before some of them looked on in confusion as the bulky Saiyan walked up to the announcer.
"May I borrow your microphone good sir?" Gomo asked, getting a slightly confused look from the announcer before he passes the mike over. "Thank you..." He says politely before turning to Hercule. The stadium gets quiet as he speaks.
"Champion Hercule, Mister Satan... For seven years you have reigned as the World Martial Arts Champion, an icon to the people who have gathered here today as well as those who are watching at home. You have become a legend that these people aspire to become, no matter whether they have the means to or not, and for that you have my utmost respect. It takes a true hero to become an inspiration to the masses, to become a man that can turn the day for the better and cause others to follow your example simply by being your presence." He takes a small breath before turning to the crowd. "But today... This match at the end of the Thirty-First tournament, I shall end your reign as the Champion. I am stronger, I am faster... but I have become so because of your example!" He exclaimed before turning to Hercule once again. "I will take the title of World Martial Arts Champion not to replace you in the hearts of the people! But to give them another hero! Another champion to aspire to be like. I only hope to be able to inspire this world as you have inspired me!" Gomo looks to the announcer and passes him back the micrphone before returning his attention to Hercule.
He quickly tugs on the front of his shirt and takes off the upper half of the gi, revealing his muscles and scars. "No tricks... No flying... simply martial arts. I will become the new champion, and you will be giving the title to someone who deserves to inspire the world as much as you have." They both got into a battle stance before the sound of the gong started their fight.
"Seriously?" Paolina asks with a stunned look.
"Yeah, he donates regularly to needy foundations, lives in a modest home, and regularly attends special functions to give awareness to the problems that are present in the world." Toma replies as he leans back. "It's made me more than proud to call him my brother."
Paolina smiles a little as she sits back as well, watching the end of Trixie's show. "Yeah... he's a really great guy..."
Author's Note
Despite the shortness of this chapter, I did have quite a bit of fun with Trixie.
I never know what to put in these authors' notes so just imagine that I put something that sounds like a really deep philisophical quote
Episode 12: Monstrous Meetings!
Trixie smiled at the rather large bag of bits she had collected from her show, The ponies of Ponyville had certainly been more than happy to have a show of her magic. Her smile turned to a small sigh as she looked over the bits and thought more about her magic.
"...Illusions... that's all my magic is... Nothing but flashy smoke and mirrors..." She divided the total bits into fourths before levitating each pile into a separate bag. "He may not need them... but it's still something that he may like... Maybe Trixie could pick out some flowers in the morning." She put a hoof to her muzzle before shaking her head. "No... he would want something practical... Maybe Trixie could-... oh wait... she was the clothing designer of the town... Maybe instead-... no... no, she was the head of the local farm..." The light-blue unicorn mare looked back over at her cape and hat. "...Maybe Trixie should just give up showbusiness... too many hecklers..."
As Trixie continued her solo conversation though, two colts were making their way pretty deep into the Everfree Forest... which was certainly an odd occurrence if such a place was as dangerous as the residents of Ponyville made it out to be... in order to search for a challenge that would allow their idol, The Great and Powerful Trixie, to prove that pesky neigh-saying dragon wrong.
Snips huffed a bit to his dark ochre and quite lanky friend. "Stupid Spike... he just doesn't understand how powerful the GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie really is!" His lanky friend, Snails, simply nodded with an admittedly torpid look plastered on his face. Punctuating his friend's rant with the occasional 'yeah!' as he followed along to a cave that was located in the incredibly-dangerous Everfree Forest.
"Uh... Snips..." Snails began hesitantly as they stopped outside the cave. "Why are we out here anyway? Didn't your mom tell us that we shouldn't be playing in the Everfree at night... or like... ever?"
The stumpy, pudgy unicorn colt facehoofed, "Snails... we're out here to get an Ursa Major for Trixie to vanquish and prove that simple dragon wrong! How many times do I have to explain that?" He let out a sigh. "Just... come on..." He grumbled as the two of them started their way inside. With how dark it had started to get though, Snips turned back to where his friend was. "Hey Snails... can you turn on a light? We're never going to be able to find an Ursa in this dark."
"Uh... okay Snips." the ochre unicorn replied as he focused some of his magic into his horn, managing to make the sound of a well-used car starting and revving a few times before the light-purple light began to emit steadily from his horn. He took a few breaths as their surroundings were lit up, including the large, near-transparent mass of blue fur directly to their left. "Uh... Snips... I think we found the Ursa..."
Harold had been having a rather pleasant dream, nothing too special, he had simply been enjoying the feeling of flying among the stars in that beautiful black sea that enveloped the sky after the big yellow ball in the air decided it had enough fun for the day. It was amazing, and for once he was getting a very restful night's sleep... or at least, he would've if it hadn't been for whatever noise had woken him up so rudely from his nap as that white-purple light forced his eyes to wince at the wake-up call so early in his dream. Once his eyes focused he saw two little snack-things were staring at him... they didn't seem to appetizing, much to small, but it would be what they got for waking him up. Then one of them spoke.
"Uh... Snips... I think we found the Ursa... what do we do now?"
The greenish-blue one lit up its horn, those ones were always annoying to eat... something about their horn always kept him from enjoying his meal, and shouted "RUN!" at the top of his lungs as his magic picked up the other snack and they both started running out of the cave.
"Get back here!" Harold growled in the ancient astral-bear language that his mother had taught him not a scant few years ago. "You don't get to wake me up and get away with it!" He continued as he chased after the little snacks. As fast as they tried to run though, it was nothing as he made his way after them, the prickly wood-plants bent a bit as he simply shoved them aside, each plod putting him closer and closer to the little snack-creatures. He was hovering just over them, no doubt they could feel his breath as he opened his mouth wide, just before something hit his side and sent him crashing through several of the prickly wood-plants before he managed to catch himself standing up and shaking the grogginess away as he looked at his assailant.
The creature was very large, almost as large as he was, it had five serpentine necks that ended in snake-like heads, the necks were attached at the base to a round-ish body and four powerful, if a tad stumped, legs. The creature even had a long serpent-like tail. Its hide was a light brown with a spotted dark brown pattern, around several of the spots though were purple-ish marks that Harold had never seen before, and its eyes seemed to have purple smoke emanating from them.
"So... Many-head... we meet again..." He rumbled in Astral-Bear, "I see that you did not take the hint on our last encounter together... no matter, I shall settle this here and now, Mother won't even have to get involved this time." He crouched and got ready to pounce, hesitating only as the Many-head's... heads... smirked and opened their maws wide, letting a huge violet ball of fire hover in front of them before it rocketed at the Ursa, making his vision black out in a single strike as the attack struck him in the face.
The Hydra smirked as it watched the headless Ursa Minor slump to the ground, much of its body still charring from the flames. With barely a second to spare it turned its gaze towards Ponyville...
...There was a new monster truly on the loose, and it was hungry for pony meat. The enhanced PyroHydra began stomping its way towards the small town with a specific target in mind, but there was also no problem to have a few snacks along the way.
Several very loud roars managed to rouse many of the sleeping ponies from their slumber as Snips and Snails dashed through the market square, heading for the cart that had come into town bearing the Great and Powerful Trixie! Once at the door they began to repeatedly knock on it to try and get it's occupant's attention.
Trixie grumbled as she opened up the door to the cart. "What do you want? Trixie is not to be disturbed at this hour because she needs her beauty rest!" She scoffs at the two colts. "What could possibly be so important as to wake The Great and Powerful Trixie!?"
The little blue-green colt smiled before bouncing a little. "We brought an Ursa Major for you to vanquish and prove to that green dragon simpleton that you are as powerful as you say!"
As he finished all three of them turned towards the forest as a gigantic figure made it's way out of the trees, all three pairs of eyes widened though as there was no bear that exited the forest, but a much more vicious monster. All five of its heads looked right at the cart as it stomped its way over, smirking with an evil mirth as its left-most head turned towards one of the nearby buildings and let out a gout of violet-orange fire to practically burn the roof away almost instantly as several ponies panicked and began to dash out of the house.
Snips nudged the light-blue unicorn. "Uh... Great and Powerful Trixie... Now would be a great time to vanquish it. As much as she wanted to though, she was stuck. The sheer amount of magical power radiating from the creature had her paralyzed in fear, every attempt to move was only met with a shiver of fear from the limb she tried to move. She couldn't even look away as all five heads gathered together, opening their fanged maws together and creating a ball of violet flames that could easily consume her and a good several paces around her if it hit.
As the attack seemed to soar towards them in slow motion Trixie suddenly felt the feeling of being lifted off her hooves as two powerful arms wrapped around her barrel, moving her out of the range of the attack.
Toma landed near one of the buildings as the ball of flames struck the ground where Trixie's cart had been, "ooh... She's not going to be happy about that..." he thought with a wince as Gomo landed next to him with the two colts in his arms.
"What the hell is that!?" Paolina shouted as she landed nearby. "You know what, I don't care! I'm gonna get rid of it! Toma! Gomo! Evacuate ponies from the nearest homes, I'll try and send this thing somewhere it won't cause as much damage!" Both of the male Saiyans nodded as she dashed towards the Hydra that was taking up most of the market square.
The female Saiyan hovered quite a few feet away from the Hydra as she got into a better fighting stance, she didn't like the way it smirked at her when she stopped, it wasn't one of those predator's about to eat it's prey smirks... it was one that made her want to take a shower and scrub thoroughly because of how dirty it seemed. "I don't know what brought you here... but you're not going to be making a mess of any more of this town!" She called out before charging a Destructo Disk, only to be met with a gout of violet-orange flames that interrupted the attack while she covered her face. She nearly let out a scream of pain as the flames licked at her for several seconds before they stopped, smoke was trailing off of several spots of her burnt clothes and she scowled at the Hydra. "Rarity just made these!" She shouted before vanishing and landing a solid punch to its chest an instant later, the force sending it flying towards the edge of town.
Paolina straightened her posture as she took to the air. "Man... I won't hear the end of it when Rarity sees these clothes..." She sighs as she takes a look over the scorched violet pants and light-pink t-shirt. "Welp, at least I have a completely viable outlet for her aggression, which in turn makes it viable for me." The Saiyan justified as she flew casually towards the Hydra while it was getting up.
"Oh good! You're ready for round two I take it?" She chuckles as the Hydra looks up at her with a mix of shock and anger. "Oh please, don't flatter yourself... you might be stronger than a normal... whatever you are... but I can sense your power isn't close enough to be a threat to me." She puts one arm behind her back as she lifts the other so that her hand is pointing at the Hydra with her index finger. "...Still, you could become a nuisance... and I don't want to have to deal with you around here more than once..." A concentrated ball of energy hovered just in front of her finger as she frowned a little, the frown deepening as the Hydra didn't even try to move while it scowled up at her, she could easily match it at its current power, but there was something just... off... with it, something she couldn't place. "Come on... you'll figure it out later, right now it's blasting time! That brute needs to go!" As much as she agreed with the thought, she let out a small sigh of disappointment as she let the energy fade. "...If I'm going to fight you... I need to know just how strong you are..." She says quietly as her right hand takes the same example that her left had. "Follow me..." She growls as she starts to fly towards the Everfree.
"...Perfect..." the Hydra thought with an evil smirk as he used his new aura to float off the ground as he followed the Saiyan. "It's finally time to stress-test my new power..." It was annoying having so many heads though, so hopefully soon he would be able to shed this form, although he wouldn't mind enjoying a bit of time with this woman, she certainly seemed to be the feisty type. Each of his heads had their mouths curl into a lewd smirk as he watched her every muscle. "Oh yesss... she'll do perfectly..." He let out a rumbling chuckle as he followed behind, enjoying the generous view he was being given.
Paolina touched down in a decently-sized clearing and frowned as she watched the Hydra stomp into view, there was something about it that she knew was wrong... it's aura seemed to have two separate sources, but it was the second one that threw her off. It was hard to place, overlapped with the aura of the Hydra so there were fine details that were hard to distinguish. She scowled a little, "Alright... Just what the hell are you...?"
The hydra merely smirked as it readied another gout of flame.
"Fine... I'll just beat the answers out of you." Paolina growled, quickly ascending and unleashed a barrage of small energy blasts that the Hydra simply tanked as it readied several bursts of flame. Dashing forward at near-invisible speed she had to swerve around one of the gouts of fire before making contact with a solid punch to the Hydra's middle head, forcing the entire creature to recoil as she used her smaller size to her advantage, speeding around it to grab its tail and start lifting it off the ground, straining her muscles as she started to spin it vertically with Goku's Dragon Throw attack. She grunted as the creature's weight, combined with the speed of the spin, was making it difficult to hang on, so she simply waited until it was in a position that her throw would send the creature straight up.
As the Hydra was sent skyward Paolina righted herself and raised both of her arms towards the Hydra, within seconds she was enveloped in a round, golden aura. "Heat Dome Attack!" She shouted as fiery Ki surged upwards to impact the Hydra at full force, the large creature not even trying to avoid the blast as it recovered. The surrounding area had been lit up bright as day during the attack, fading back to being cloaked in darkness as the attack ended.
Paolina was panting just a little from the force of the attack, "Wow... put... a little too much... oomph... behind-... it?" her attention focused quickly down just before a serpentine humanoid collided with her, sending her rocketing into the air for several seconds before recovering with a small burst of Ki. "What the hell?" She asked rhetorically as she saw the humanoid straighten.
Hovering slowly up to her level was a new being entirely, it was like a cross between an Arcosian and a serpent, with a heavy influence on the Arcosian side, His scales were the same mottled brown that the hydra had, although his eyes would have seemed almost normal if it hadn't been for the red pupils. "Hello Paolina..." He spoke with the tone that she had known guys to use when they wanted to seem suave and other sorts of cool. "...I'm glad we finally get to meet, you've been so lonely on this world without me attacking you that I almost thought you would've gone native." He chuckled, which sent a new feeling shooting through her system as she watched every inch of him for signs of being about to attack.
"What the hell are you?" Paolina growled as she tried to clear her head of the new emotion, gritting her teeth as she heard that sexy chuckle again.
"Who and what I am are bits of information that I've long outgrown, I don't even remember if I've existed since before time began, what I do know is that while I've gone by many names, my personal favorite so far has been Madu." He smirked as he took a stance similar to Beerus, the main difference being that he was at an angle and that his right arm was up in a combat-ready stance. "...although... I wonder just how lovely it would be to hear you screaming my name into the night..." He hissed with a smile. "I can imagine it now, all of those wonderful... toned... absolutely beautiful muscles... all mine to enjoy from dusk until dawn."
Paolina's face twisted into a grimace as she fought back a gag. "Not a chance, an evil slimeball like you wouldn't even get close to touching me!" She growled, trying to save face in what was practically a lie as she tried to get a read on his power.
"Don't worry Love... I still have to hear you say my name before I can correct you on how to scream it right..." He chuckled just before vanishing, slamming his elbow hard into her stomach and sending her across the sky. "I know you're not even using your full power! You had better! Or else I might just kill you!" He goads as he rockets alongside her, bringing his left fist into her cheek to change her course as he starts to pinball her in the air.
Paolina let out a howl of rage as she let a huge amount of Ki explode around her to stop her from being tossed through the air like a ragdoll. "That's it! You're dead Madu!" She screams as a golden aura bursts around her with flames wrapping around her body and lightning arcing from several spots on her body.
Madu let out a pleased shiver. "Oooh! That was so close, I might not have to teach you after all. Let's hear you say it Sensually!" He seemed to giggle with mad glee as he rushed her again, the two of them becoming a blur of gold and violet across the night sky as they clashed.
Every time they parted Madu would practically howl with pleasure. "Oh YES! If it feels this good fighting you, I can't wait to feel the pleasure of having you in bed with me!" He cackled as they finished yet another exchange of fists and kicks.
Paolina scowled again. "Keep dreaming you disgusting prick!" She spread her arms apart as two spheres of golden electricity formed in front of her hands. "FINAL! FLASH!" She shouted as she brought her hands together.
Madu smirked, pulling his hands back to let a violet ball of fire appear before launching it forward, "BURNING RAY!" He shouted with glee before both attacks met in midair. "Oh you are so good! I've not felt this alive in centuries!" The violet flames were quickly starting to gain an edge against the Saiyan 2 that was clashing against him. "You may not be as strong as me, but damn!"
Paolina grit her teeth as she started to pour more energy into the attack, slowing the flames' approach as she felt her body starting to give out, even with the power boost of Saiyan 2 she was still shaking as the energy was leaving her.
Madu unleashed a torrent of extra energy into his side of the blast, forcing it to quickly overcome the ultimate blast and engulf the Saiyan, forcing her to scream out in pain as the flames licked at her body. He watched as the flames faded, the Saiyan's hair had resumed its normal brown color as most of her outfit had been burned away, he could even see her entire body shaking from how much energy she had used just before she seemed to pass out and began falling to the ground.
With an incredible speed Madu quickly caught her and eased them both to the ground. She twitched a little and let out a small groan as she started to come back to consciousness, her eyes widening as she realized who was holding her just before he shifted his grip so that the front of her shirt was what he was lifting her up by as she just barely managed to get her footing.
His left hand began to gently stroke her side. "You know..." He rumbled into her ear as he pulled her close. "I could take you right now... and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it... I'm stronger than you, faster than you and far more experienced than you..." He explains as his hand slowly travels down her side to caress her hip. "But I won't... because I don't want to take those beautiful hips of yours... I want you to give them to me... That's why I want you to get stronger... because you need to please a god." He continues with his deep, rumbling chuckle. His hand squeezes her hip firmly. "I don't care how many others you give them to... but those hips belong to me... until you're ready to give them though, I'm just going to have to keep attacking." He backs her up just a little, leaving barely an inch between his mouth and hers as he finishes with a whisper. "...Until you are ready, I'll just have to deal with you being so abrasive..." He coos just before placing a kiss on her lips, fully intending it to be just a chaste smooch. Her surprised squeak and subsequent moan forced him to hold the kiss for several seconds as his left hand pulled her hips close to his, having her give out another squeak as she felt just how aroused he was even through their clothes.
She was panting hard as he broke the kiss, smiling at her just before she let out a whisper. "M-... Madu..." She watched as he let out another shiver and his seductive chuckle.
"Oh..." He starts with a shuddered breath. "I'm going to have to start wearing rubbers at all times... you know just how to say it sensually... I'll see your sexy body later, when we can get much more... intimate..." He let the collar of her shirt go and seemed to vanish with a *vwoop* as she dropped to her knees with an absolutely stunned look.
Her right hand slowly moved up to her mouth as her fingers gingerly traced her lips. "...Madu..." She whispered.
Toma landed just inside the devastated clearing to see his friend on her knees and touching her mouth. "P-Paolina!" He stuttered as he quickly ran over to her. "Paolina! Are you alright? Where's the Hydra?"
"Gone..." She replied as she leaned into his embrace.
Toma looked at the area, as if appraising it of any threats, before lifting the stunned Saiyan in his arms and making his way back to Ponyville. "...I hope Twilight can help..."
Author's Note
Well...
Do you like our new villain?
Please...?
As always! I love having comments, I respond to... all the ones that don't seem to be obvious trollbait.
Episode 14: Spike's Training
Twilight and Paolina were giving each other even looks, practically trying to stare the other into relenting. It was a titanic battle of wills; the student who spent years burning candles at more than both ends versus the warrior that fought gods for a living... Truly it was the stuff of legends...
Then Twilight blinked, hissing at the loss and letting out a groan. "Fine... you can start his training, how long will he be gone?" Twilight asked as she started escorting the armored Saiyan back to the local library.
Paolina took a small breath as she started to relax. "One month, it'll be a day of training and then six days resting before the cycle starts again. He needs this training, I'd take the rest of you but the Hyperbolic Time Chamber of this world has the same two-person limit per training session that the one on earth had."
Twilight let out another sigh before looking up at the sky. "To think... a completely separate dimension... with a gateway on our own world... Do you realize how much power that would take to simply keep active?" She asked as she turned to the Saiyan.
"Since the door is pretty stable itself it doesn't require any energy to stay active, but since it's an entirely different dimension altogether the only powers that Spike and I will be able to sense will be each other's." the Saiyan explained. "The gravity there is ten times greater, the atmosphere is denser the further away you travel from the portal platform and the temperature can vary from negative forty degrees Celsius all the way to fifty degrees Celsius."
Twilight was stunned as she listened to the Saiyan. "And you're forcing Spike to train in those conditions? The first step alone will crush him!"
"Twilight... He'll be fine, I trust him... you should too... he wants to join me, and I had several extra RIT Variant suits made for the both of us so that we have something to wear for each day that we're in there training."
The violet unicorn looked towards the rapidly approaching library. "I guess... I'm just not sure how four days of training will help in those conditions, it may just do more harm than good..."
"Trust me Twilight, by the time we're done training he'll be as strong as me." Paolina assured. "No need to tell her that time goes by fast enough that we'll be doing a year's training at a time..." She pet the unicorn's mane. "By the time he gets back I'm sure even you will notice the change in him."
Twilight smiled for a few seconds before stopping and starting to think about what the Saiyan said. "...Did you just insinuate that I'm oblivious?"
Paolina smirked. "Nope, you've spent his entire life around him... he's grown with you and so you don't notice the little changes until you look back on your life." She explained. "Do you remember what he looked like as a hatchling?"
Twilight gets a small, nostalgic smile. "Yeah... he was so adorable... so tiny, I'd just snuggle with him as I started to read and he would fall asleep in my hooves... I'd fall asleep soon after only to find that Princess Celestia put us both in my bed so that I could hug him like a little stuffed toy."
"And what about now?"
Twilight sighed a little as she looked at the ground. "He's growing up... he sleeps in a basket that the Princess got for him last year... I told him it had to have been a prank but he loves it..." Her eyes begin to tear up. "He's growing up like... like..."
"As if he were your own son?" Paolina offered.
"...yeah..." Twilight agreed quietly. "He's been like a little brother to me since I got accepted into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns... and now..." She chokes back a sob.
"Hey! It's not like you're sending him off to college or something... and it'll be only a month..." Paolina assured as she pat the sad unicorn's back. "He's coming with me to be a hero like you and your friends, he'll be able to protect you girls just as much, if not more, than you girls already protect Equestria."
Twilight nodded a little as she wiped her eyes. "Yeah... yeah... I know... it's just... I'm going to miss him..."
"And he's going to miss you girls... I'm sure of it. But... It'll be you girls that inspire him to keep training and learn all that he can about martial arts and Ki. You raised a smart and noble dragon, I'm here to combine that with strength." She gave the violet unicorn a nice scratch between the ears. "He'll be fine and he'll come back to be a hero."
Twilight took a few more sniffs before lighting up her horn with a smile and opened the door to the library. "Spike!" She called out.
"Just a sec! I'll be right down!" The dragon replied from somewhere on the second floor. Paolina simply let Twilight nuzzle against her as the mare tried to keep her composure. Within a few minutes Spike finally came walking down the steps with a small suitcase, he paused at the bottom of the stairs and gave a wary glance to the sniffling Twilight. "Uh... Twilight... why are you looking at me like that? Are you going to do what mom did before you left for your first day of being Celestia's student?"
Twilight gave a nervous chuckle before walking over to the little dragon and gently pulling him into a hug. "No spike... I'm not going to act like mom... but I am going to miss you around here, I don't know what I would've done all those years while you were growing up if I didn't have you..."
"Uh... not get in trouble with child labor laws?" Spike offered, getting another chuckle out of the saddened unicorn.
"No Spike... I'll see you in a month... I love you... little brother..." Twilight replies as she gives him a firm hug.
Spike gave her a firm hug in return. "I'll miss you too big sis..." he replies, tentatively using the 'sis' in his sentence.
Paolina smiled at the display. "We'll be back before you even notice that we're gone Twilight." She says with a broad smile.
Twilight gave another small smile. "Yeah, I hope so... Have fun you two." Spike nodded as Paolina ushered him out of the house. Twilight blinked again as tears began to form in her eyes. "...be safe... both of you..." she whispers before lighting a candle, the wick coming to life with a green flame. It's only about a minute before she starts scratching out a letter.
Dear Princess Celestia,
I am writing to inform you that for the next month Spike will be unable to send our correspondence, so I will be resorting to the standard magical fire mail system. It will be a tad slower for results between the two of us but until Spike returns from his trip with Paolina it will be for the best.
I... I don't know if you will be able to tell... but with Spike leaving like this, even if it's only for the next month, I believe I understand why my mother was crying what she had called 'liquid pride' when I was accepted to be your personal protege. I've had a few smudges as I tried to write a few previous letters to you before this one all because I can't stop the tears, I'm sad to see Spike leave... already it feels like it's been so long even though he just left about an hour ago... I'm also proud and happy that he'll have a strong mentor to keep him safe while he's training with her. If it's at all possible, I would appreciate just a simple day between you, your sister and me... possibly my parents as well if their schedules will permit... I need somepony to talk to about this and while I know my friends would be more than happy to spend time with me and take my mind off of it, I want to actually get used to the fact that I won't have my assistant and little brother with me for the next month so that if anything like this should happen in the future I hopefully won't be as sad.
I had to close the library all day because ~~I am just~~ ~~It~~ It's ~~complicated~~ really hard to explain. I want to just curl up and cry the day away because I already miss Spike so much but I know that reaction isn't worth having simply because it doesn't change anything. I know that I need somepony to speak with in order to get this feeling off my chest.
Your Faithful Student, Twilight Sparkle.
Princess Celestia had a small, pensive frown on her face as she read her student's latest letter, which explained why a royal courier had brought it instead of it simply appearing in front of her. Her frown faded to a small smile though as she began to make her response.
Dearest Twilight,
Of course I can schedule some of my time to help you through this sad event, I trust your judgement on letting Spike leave to train under Paolina and am very proud that you could come to a decision on your own. This is a very mature and important decision in your life, I understand your concern about your friends' reactions and am more than happy to schedule a day in Canterlot for you to relax and come to terms that even as a young wyrmling, Spike is growing up into a noble drake.
I will be sure to ask if your parents are free to see you when you come to Canterlot, I'll be sending a ticket with the letter that has the date of our meeting to provide your fare to and from Ponyville. My sister could use a time like this as well, she's had... ~~trouble~~ ~~Difficulty~~ She could certainly use the company to help catch her up with the times-
Celestia winced as she heard another shout coming from the kitchen... that was almost halfway across the castle.
"Metallic Cur! Ye miniature metallic oven of microscopic heat waves shall pay for burning our toast! Have at you!" Came Luna's shout, which was followed by the rending of metal and a small explosion. Celestia let out a small sigh as she went back to writing.
I can't wait to see you again, Luna certainly could use some friends from this time period and I'll be sure to clear my schedule so that you can visit my sister and I for at least an afternoon.
Your Caring Mentor, Princess Celestia.
Celestia quickly sealed up the letter and had to stop herself from sending it to her student the usual way, almost sending it directly to Spike out of reflex. Taking a short breath she got up and began a walk to her school, which also happened to be the hub for letters sent via magical fire.
Spike was watching wide-eyed as it seemed they had passed through the entirety of Equestria and Griffonia all the way to the edge of the dragon lands in only a few minutes, glad that they had finally slowed down he now watched as a strange temple-like building came into view... or to be more specific, floating castle. "I-Is that where we're going to spend the next month training?" He asked with a nervous stutter.
"Yep!" Paolina replied as she approached the floating lookout. "We're going to be training in The Hyberbolic Time Chamber of this world and the best part of the training is that there isn't a two-day limit to how often it can be used."
As they landed Spike quickly hopped off and looked around. "I guess I'm just confused as to how training for a month is going to make me as strong as you..."
Paolina let out a nervous chuckle. "Well... That's the thing, see... time inside the Hyberbolic Time Chamber moves fast enough so that one day out here is a year in there."
"Wait... you didn't tell Twilight that..."
"What? That to you it's going to be the equivalent of four years and twenty four days... no... I didn't tell her that... because then she might not have let you come to train."
Spike was about to respond just before the two of them noticed a young-looking griffon approaching, by the curves it seemed to be female. Her body wasn't quite as pronounced as a full-grown griffon egress but the distinction was still there. "Hello!" She starts, her voice was a bit bright and warbly, "Kami was expecting you two, I'll be taking you both to the room of Space and Time." She explained with a smile as she hovers in the air and beckons for them to follow her.
They both proceed to follow the young Griffon into the lookout. "So... How long have you been here?" Spike starts as they get inside.
"Kami adopted me a couple days ago, I used to be in Canterlot... But Kami has been so awesome! He's already started teaching me about the Lookout and magic and Ki!" The Griffon says excitedly before she stops and lands in front of them. "Oh my gosh! I've been so rude, My name is Hannah!" she quickly explains with a bow.
The Saiyan and dragon both give bows in return. "I'm Paolina..." She starts, "...And he's Spike, it's very good to meet you Hannah."
"Yeah, it's great to meet you." Spike added with an awkward smile.
The rest of the trip passed with the little excited Griffon talking to them about the various features of the lookout that would come to her mind as they made their way to the bottom of the lookout, meeting up with Cello just outside the door and letting Hannah quickly hug him with a content smile. "It's good to see you two here..." Cello started as he opened the door to the chamber. "...If you would like to start training immediately now is the time to enter the door."
Paolina gave a small chuckle. "We're going, see you tomorrow!" She said as she picked Spike up and walked into the spacious chamber.
Spike gave a small shudder as Cello closed the door behind them, suddenly... he felt so alone now that it was just him and Paolina standing in the room together. "Lina...?"
"Yeah Spike?" She replies as she puts him down and starts setting up the outfits for the two of them.
"Why does this place feel so... empty?"
"That's because you're technically in a completely different dimension, once the door that Cello opened for us is closed we're in here until either he opens it again or one year has passed. Here, put this outfit on..." She explained as she tossed him a one-piece blue jumpsuit with a small hole in the back to accommodate for his tail. At his confused look she gave another laugh. "It's a really flexible fabric, combined with the armor you'll have something that's durable and just ripe for abuse with our training."
"Uh... Cool... how difficult is this training going to be?" He asks nervously.
"Excruciatingly difficult, that's why it's going to be effective." The Saiyan replies with an almost Twilight-like smile. "Just take a step off of the platform and you'll find out."
Spike cautiously made his way over to the step-like platform across from the door he had entered at, so far aside from the overwhelming emptyness it didn't seem like there was really anything wrong with this-...
The moment his foot touched down outside he felt like Twilight had just done a belly flop onto his back as the gravity forced him to the ground. He noticed Paolina walk up to him out of the corner of his eye before she kneels down in front of him and uses her hand to hold his chin and have him look her in the eyes.
She started quietly, just a bit louder than Fluttershy but the emptyness made it more than easy to understand. "From this point until that door opens again... I am not your friend... you have no outside connections... I am your mentor, and you will train until you drop each day, if you slack off you're only hurting your chance to protect your friends from the danger that's inevitably going to come. If you're not strong enough when the threat comes they will die. You will follow my lessons and you will focus only on your training, am I clear?"
"...Crystal..." Spike whimpered out as she let him fall to the ground again.
"Lesson one is getting your body used to the higher gravity... This room has ten times Equestria's gravity, so whatever you weighed before, it's now ten times more than that and you have to get used to it. The faster you complete this lesson the faster you will be able to move on."
Author's Note
And here we go! The beginning of Spike's, and by extension Paolina's, new training. What will happen to the young drake? Will he succeed in the training of a mentor who is just as intense as Cell? Or will he fall short of her standards?
Tune in for the next episode!
Still taking suggestions for the title of the story, for the life of me I can't come up with a better one than the one I have
Episode 15: Lesson 2... DODGE!!!!
Spike grit his teeth as he landed hard on the cold floor of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, with his feet shaking he began to push himself up and look at the Saiyan hovering in the air. His breathing came in a few labored gasps as he fought just to keep himself standing.
"Alright Spike, that's enough for now, we'll pick back up in an hour." The Saiyan taskmaster dismissed as she easily floated down to him.
"Thank you Sensei..." Spike mumbled as Paolina had him sling an arm over her shoulders. He took a minute as they walked back to the time house to actually look at the differences between the two of them, it had only been a couple months inside the chamber but already he was growing up to a much more athletic and powerful size. His baby fat had almost completely disappeared except for a small deposit on his stomach that he was already on the way to fixing.
The Saiyan's training style had taken on much of what her last mentor's had been; strength by pain. By subjecting him to combat against her with just a little holding back his muscles quickly began to go into overdrive to keep up with the punishment and gravity training... in just the couple of months they had been in the chamber he had already grown to nearly twice his size. His senses were sharpening and he found himself smelling new scents just from being around Paolina alone, his mind worked idly on the idea of just what he would smell once the two of them left the chamber... in a year everything would feel so foreign and he'd be able to rediscover his old love of books.
And meat! Oh by Celestia did he enjoy the meat that Paolina had been cooking alongside the vegetables and sushi, he had been more than a little apprehensive at first, after he tried it though he just couldn't help but await their mealtimes with eagerness as he began to cook more and more for the two of them and began trying new spices that continued to send his mind into bliss every time he took a whiff.
Paolina eased him onto the bed that he had taken and smiled at him. "Great job today Spike, keep up the training like that and soon you might even be able to fight against Celestia herself." The growing dragon nodded slowly, taking a quiet sniff of the air as he let his mind get wrapped in the scent of the warrior standing nearby. He could certainly understand why most adult ponies loved to smell new things like flowers or treats, it was absolute bliss as his mind began to wander with each breath.
"Yeah..." He groaned as he began to stretch out and lay on the bed, he quickly slid the upper body armor of his outfit off and kicked off his boots. "... Heh... If I keep this up I might just be able to beat you."
The Saiyan rolled her eyes as she sat down on her bed. "You wish, you still haven't even been able to reach the point where you could stand up to my Super Saiyan form, once you can do that, then you just might have a shot at beating me."
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Spike took an even breath as he and his mentor separated from their clash, his arms and legs were sore but he was only able to smirk as he noticed the golden-haired Saiyan was panting just as hard as he was. She refused to show him that she was tired though, the two had been going at each other for the last half a day so he could practically hear her stomach growling at the both of them. He let out a small chuckle as she straightened.
"Alright, that's enough for now... I'm pretty sure you need something to eat too." She let the energy stop flowing to her super form and her hair changed back to its usual brown color. Spike had a small smile as he landed next to her, he closed his eyes and took a small breath, enjoying the scent of the Saiyan who had been training him for almost a year now, and boy had he grown... he went from being about knee height to the Saiyan to only a half-foot shorter than her, true that made him about as tall as most ponies that weren't bodybuilders, but it was still grating every so often when Paolina did point out his height difference.
"Hey Paolina..." He starts quietly, getting the Saiyan to turn to him as he steps a little closer. "...I... I've been thinking... I want to thank you for... well... for helping me with getting stronger..."
"Oh..." Paolina replied with a slight blush as she suddenly realized just how close the dragon was. "Y-yeah, it's not a problem Spike... I'm happy to help, you know... it could come in handy later."
Spike gave a small chuckle as he pulled the Saiyan into a hug. "Yeah, thank you so much Lina..." He said as he took a breath of the Saiyan's scent, it was a musky scent that he couldn't quite put a name to but loved nonetheless. As he broke the hug he let out a small sigh. "The only information that Princess Celestia was really able to get Twilight about dragons was that they grew in size and power based on their hoard... their greed... but... I'm growing now without the need for a huge hoard of treasure."
"Well, maybe it's because something you value is much different than what other dragons value, perhaps your greed isn't what you need to grow... but... something else...?"
Spike put a claw to his chin in thought as he walked with her back to the house. "Yeah... you might be on to something there, I may not be getting bigger because of my greed... but I'm definitely getting stronger because of you and your training!" He smiled a bit more as he continued walking toward their home, the food was starting to run a little low, but that was only because their year was almost up... a year of spending every waking hour together... her scent that simply sent his mind into bliss with every breath.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Spike growled as he was sent skipping across the ground of the chamber, "We have one month left in this chamber, you're still not dodging!"
Using his momentum from the roll the, now quite a bit taller, dragon leapt back into a standing position and growled once more. "I don't need to dodge!" He brought his body into an X-shape. "Final! Flash!" He shouted as he brought his hands back together, the emerald-violet aura around his body shifting to gold as the energy quickly built up and rocketed away from his claws.
Thinking quickly Paolina brought both of her hands back behind the right side of her head as a violet light began to shine from her cupped hands. "Galick Gun!" She shouted in response as the blue lighting around her body coalesced into the violet beam that collided with the golden one. Sadly the clash didn't last long before the violet beam began to dominate it, taking only a scant few seconds before the violet blast struck Spike and sent him flying once more.
"We have one month... get yourself together! Now isn't the time to slack off... Now, DODGE!" Paolina shouted as she drove her elbow into Spike's chin just as he got up, flowing into a very quick succession of punches and kicks to the dragon's already battered body. Each second the battle lingered certainly forced Spike to thank whatever divine being was watching him that they had Sensu beans available. Spike struggled to stand as Paolina landed in front of him. "This is why you DODGE!" she punctuated the statement by kicking him into the air and letting the increased gravity do its work. "It doesn't matter how much damage you can take Spike, it's better for you in the long run to not get hit at all." She picked up the barely conscious dragon and began to haul him back to the outpost.
Three outside days had been spent training... three years straight in the chamber... Already the little dragon was shaping up to be a fairly competent fighter, with her scouter actually putting him at a power level of forty, just shy of half her last recorded strength. Definitely enough to put him at an equal or superior fighter to Gomo, that was for sure. Actually... now that she thought about it... with their training bringing him up to a proper speed he might not even need the rest of the month, or even the rest of the week, to become a capable fighter from the outside world.
It was strange to think about, they had put nearly three years into training and already he was almost half as strong as her. It brought a smile to her face as she began to prepare something to eat for the two of them. She took her time, good food wasn't something to be rushed after all, and added several seasonings that she noticed Spike had taken a liking to. A smile slowly began to spread over her face as she thought about how far they both had come... perhaps soon she would teach him the Kaio-Ken technique. For now she would be able to take comfort in the fact that Spike believed she was holding back even after she transformed.
-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-
Paolina smirked as she watched the emerald and violet dragon across from her growl. He had certainly bulked up from when he first arrived, he was even strong enough now to weather several of her high-powered barrages. He was more than a force to be reckoned with now that he had brought his power up and began to get used to Paolina's fighting style... which admittedly was Vegeta's favorite battle strategy as well...
...Blast it with everything, if it's not dead, keep shooting...
For the most part it worked, she was devastating when it came to harnessing her Ki into ranged attacks, not so much at close range, she was about average for the top-tier fighters when it came to hurting people with her fists, even Gomo was at her strength in physical combat because he focused on the basic attacks and strike barrages. Spike though, he definitely focused on withstanding blows and hitting hard, even her own Ki-blast attacks risked not doing enough damage to the dragon that now matched her size as he quickly closed in.
It was a weakness that he exploited every chance he could, no matter how much faster she was she certainly couldn't risk taking more than a couple hits from the dragon. The battle only seemed to excite the Saiyan as it continued though, he was certainly learning how to be a threat in combat... and it was all borne from wanting to help his friends. A small smile began to worm it's way into her smirk as she dodged and avoided the dragon's attacks. With a quick teleportation she smiled and clapped her hands. "That's enough Spike." She announced proudly. "You've certainly come a long way as my apprentice." She beamed as he landed in front of her.
Spike blushed a little as he rubbed the back of his head and smiled. "Well, I wouldn't say that..."
"You're not a little dragon anymore..." Paolina pointed out.
"Only to you, compared to real dragons I am though."
"You don't need wings to fly and can manipulate more than just your inner fire."
"Okay... I'll give you that one." Spike admitted.
"Come on, when we get out of here we'll head back to Ponyville bright and early, to them it's only been a week, we'll surprise them with how much you've changed. I've even had Cello request from the Time Patrol HQ to have a battle suit commissioned for you."
"Cool! So... what do we do for the last week in here?" Spike asked.
"Relax, we don't need to do anything else for now. This training was mostly used to give Twilight and her friends a new Bodyguard when I can't be around."
Spike nodded and began to make his way over to the temporary home they had within this chamber. Paolina watched as he continued walking. In three years he had grown so much, would he come back on his own? What would he do now that he was stronger? She made sure that he wasn't stronger than her in case his greed got the better of him but there were still so many things to think about.
She hadn't been ignorant of how much Spike seemed to enjoy just being around her, how many deep breaths he took when he thought she didn't notice. She had been a warrior all her life... would this world change that for her?
Author's Note
Good.. lord... This chapter took forever to get out because I didn't want to bore you guys with three years-worth of training montages.
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Episode 16: In Their Tongue She Is Dragonshy!
Spike took a deep breath as the door to Cello's Lookout opened. "I feel so much lighter..." He exclaimed as he looked around at the hallway they were in. Hannah bounded up to him with a smile on her face before she skidded to a halt in front of him.
"Woah! You got tall..." She said with a sense of awe, "You must have gotten strong too!" She squealed in excitement as she leapt into the surprised dragon's arms.
Spike chuckled a little as the little griffon clambered up to his shoulders, though a sharp cough caught everyone's attention. Cello smiled a little as Paolina stood next to the grown dragon. "It's good to see you grow so much Spike, the outfits are back from Tokitoki though, so I guess you guys will be heading out soon?"
Paolina smiled. "Nah, I think that we could spend some time chilling here for a bit. That is, if you don't mind a Saiyan going through your food stores." She leaned up against one of the pillars with a smirk. "Besides... I was thinking about getting a haircut, long and messy just isn't feeling it for me anymore."
"What style are you thinking about?" Hannah asked as she looked at the Saiyan curiously.
"Something a bit shorter... and straight, probably shoulder length instead of mid-back." Paolina replied with a shrug. "You any good with hairstyling Cello?"
The albino Namekkian gave her a flat look. "Namekkians don't grow hair..."
"So? I've met a few bald people who are really good at styling hair." The Saiyan replied with a huff before turning to the Griffon. "What about you? You think you could help?"
Hannah nodded with a smile. "Sure, I'd have to get a brush and some scissors... but I think I have an idea for what you want." With that the Griffon quickly hopped off of Spike's head and dashed down the hallway.
"Do you ever think about what would happen if we didn't have to fight anymore Cello?" Paolina asked the Namekkian as she watched the Griffon leave.
Cello gave a small shrug as he began escorting the two of them to a room where they could rest. "It probably wouldn't be much different... in a few years time you'd probably be looking for someone to start a family with even though you would keep on your training. I can't say I know for sure what would happen."
"Really? Me? With a kid?" Paolina replied with a skeptic look.
"You never know Lina, it's possible that you could find someone..." Spike offered as he removed the damaged RIT chestplate from his suit. "Gomo is already trying to get you to marry him." He added.
"Don't remind me... I'm not sure I actually want to be with him..." The Saiyan replied with a slight frown.
"Why not?" Spike asked, only to receive a shrug in return.
Cello was the one to bring them out of the conversation. "Well, hopefully we won't have such a big issue once whoever is messing with this world is dealt with." He explained as he passed each of them a cup of tea. "White Needle... it's actually surprisingly good. It's great to relax with when you're with friends. Did you already teach Spike how to sense energy?"
Paolina nodded with a small smile. "It was one of the first things I taught him..."
@xxxx[{::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>
Paolina sat along the edge of Kami's lookout as the night rose and the day fell beyond the horizon. She took a small breath as she felt the presence of the dragon walking up behind her. "You know Spike... It's good to sit like this every so often and watch as the moon rises... It helps put some troubles into perspective... We have all this space, no matter what happens this space doesn't change a lot in what little time we dedicate to it... it'll still be here after we're gone... There isn't much of a need to worry."
Spike nodded as he took a seat next to her. "Yeah, I tried to get Twilight to understand the same thing, she's spent her whole life dedicated to books..."
"Want to join me for something real quick?"
Spike turned to the Saiyan with a curious look. "What?"
"It's always so much more fun to transition into flying from a freefall... Want to go Base Jumping with me?" Paolina asked as she stood up. Spike nodded and followed suit, looking over the edge as he mentally went over the flight exercises again.
Both of them leaned forward to let gravity drag them down towards the castle hundreds of miles below them. The whistling of the wind was all that accompanied their dive as they both took several deep breaths, letting their Ki envelop their bodies before they pulled up sharply and soared back into the clouds. Paolina smiled as she let her hand run through several of the nearby clouds on their circuit around Cello's lookout. She squeaked a little as Spike's arms wrapped around her waist, letting him carry her as she looked back at him.
Spike gave her a gentle smile as he helped her shift around enough so that her whole body was facing his. "Lina... Thank you..." He said quietly, earning another small squeak from the warrior as he pressed his mouth to hers. After several seconds of hesitation her arms slowly wrapped around his shoulders as the two of them slowed down. The battle-scarred Saiyan hummed as she felt the floor of the lookout's balcony press against her back.
@xxxx[{::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::>
Paolina gave a slight groan as she woke, a particularly annoying beam of light played across her face from the curtain that was mostly-drawn. With a slight growl she shifted around and buried her face in the warm scales of the other person in her bed... just before she blinked and began to connect the dots with who the only scaled person she knew on this planet was. Her eyes traveled along the green-scaled chest that had been against her all night, fortunately he still had his pants on and there wasn't a distinct smell in the room so that was no doubt that their night had been G-Rated. She tensed a little as the dragon's arm that was draped over her side pulled her in for a closer hug.
His nose buried itself in her hair as he took a deep sniff of her scent. "Good morning Lina..." he grumbled. "...Sleep well?"
She nodded against his chest. "Yes... actually... better than I have in a while..."
The dragon smiled a bit more as he placed a small kiss on her head. "That's good... Want to go flying again today?"
Paolina tapped on Spike's chest. "Maybe in a bit... for now though, I think I'd like to sleep a bit longer... It's not like there's going to be a dragon attacking ponyville or something." They both began to chuckle for a few minutes until Spike let out a belch of flame above their bed, causing the mirthful feeling in the room to make haste as he picked up the note.
Dear Spike,
I don't know if this letter will make it to you in time to have Paolina or Cello assist us... I may have accidentally told Twilight that I wanted her and her friends to help deal with a dragon that was planning to make his nest in one of the mountains near Ponyville for the next thousand years. If you could convince Paolina or Cello to go quickly it may prevent Twilight and her friends from reaching the dragon.
Spike almost immediately smacked his face with his claw as he read the letter. "Celestia got into the tea and rum mixes again..."
"Come on... lets get suited so we can deal with the dragon." Paolina sighed as she quickly got out of bed. In just a few minutes the two of them had their brand new battle suits on. Paolina's suit was styled after the one she had seen Bardock use when she had battled alongside him while Spike had a green jumpsuit underneath the RIT Variant chestpiece. As the pair dashed towards the edge of the lookout they passed Cello. "Sorry Cello, we gotta split, see ya soon!" Paolina rushed just before the two of them took off into the air.
The albino Namekkian stood there with a small huff. "Fine, I didn't want to make pancakes for you guys anyway... more for Hannah and me!" He scoffed.
Author's Note
I want to write something profound in this box... but I have no idea what to write.
I'll admit this guys, I had originally begun writing this story as a completely original displaced story, but I really don't know if I just want to make a separate displaced story for some of my other Xenoverse characters, or continue with the plan I had wanted for turning this into a displaced with maybe one or two character crossovers.
Episode 1:Darkness Rising
The dry, rocky wasteland was littered with smoking craters due to the recent spar between a particularly strong Saiyan and her current Mentor, the two had been going at each other for most of the day and most of the nearby landscape had been flattened as a result of their high-speed battle and the burnoff of such tremendous amounts of Ki.
"You're still too slow to react on your left side! Don't let your enemy into your blind spot!" Scolds her mentor, his green and black-spotted carapace shining in the late afternoon sun as he gets back into a battle stance, although it looks casual enough to reveal his arrogant attitude as his student stands opposite of him on the battlefield panting slightly in her battle stance.
"Understood Cell-Sensei." She replies with a sharp nod as her cape flows in the gentle breeze, her forehead is already dotted with sweat due to her training. With the smallest of shifts it's enough to make the smirk fall from her mentor's face as they both vanish a split-second later only to cause more craters to appear over the battlefield and even cause a resounding drum-like sound as they both connect their blows in midair, the sheer strength making the world sound like the rumble of thunder. It was only for a few seconds but to both combatants it seemed to go on forever, each one becoming simply a blur of ki to the other's senses as they bounced around the battlefield.
The Saiyan is the first to appear again and without missing a beat she puts her right side forward forward as her index and middle finger hover above her chest, gathering a fiery-green energy while her eyes search for her mentor's ki.
"...There!" She moves with a near-invisible speed to send the ball of energy out, catching cell in the chest as he appeared. The ball expanded and caused him to grunt a bit with pain before the ball exploded and sent him reeling. With the sound of a drum-beat he expels some ki behind him to stop in midair.
He straightens up and smirks again. "Good job, you've certainly come a long way from the little girl who was begging to learn my techniques."
She lets out a small chuckle and scoffs a little as she starts to relax and straighten up herself. "Puh-lease... Every one of your tests I dominated and kept on going no-sweat." She wipes her forehead with the back of her bandaged hands. "Well, I better get back, Trunks is probably looking for me."
He nods as she turns around. "Paolina..." She glances over her shoulder, "...Good shot." He gives her a wink as he points at her with two fingers.
She giggles in response. "No Cell, It was a Perfect Shot." She puts two fingers to her forehead and closes her eyes, disappearing within seconds and reappearing in the industrial sector of Tokitoki city. She looked behind her to get a good view of the giant hourglass that dominated the view and let out a small sigh. "it's good to be home." With a light flourish of her brown cloak she began walking towards the main square of the city. Lately it simply seemed a lot more empty though, all the patrollers that used to be there were trickling down from the packed city that had tried to fight with her and Trunks to defeat Demigra. Now all that was left was the bare minimum needed to consider the place a village, and even those ones seemed to be almost constantly away on missions. She let out a small sigh as she ran a hand through her long, wild brown hair, "It was so much more interesting when there was a big threat..."
She looked up to the statue that contained the Dragon Balls that she had collected on her missions, all seven were assembled but she just couldn't think of what to wish for. Without realizing it at first she made her way to the edge of the pond that ringed the statue and sat down, the tips of her boots hovered inches above the water as she looked up at the architecture that went into creating the shrine for the dragon.
"So... anything come up recently?" She asks to what seems like no one in particular until a male voice replies.
"The Kai of Time hasn't noticed anything lately, but with all of the patrollers going back to their respective worlds I can't help but feel a bit worried." The purple-haired young man sat down next to her as he looked up to the shrine with her. "you know, I'm happy we beat Demigra... but I can't help feeling like we missed something."
"It couldn't have been that monster... Goku and I made sure that he wouldn't come back." Paolina replied as she looked down at her reflection in the pond, her bright teal eyes staring back at her without the light she remembered them having.
"You know... you haven't been quite the same since that battle." Trunks points out as he turns his gaze to her. "For a Saiyan you don't seem to enjoy fighting as much anymore. Come on, I'll get you a drink, you look like you could use something." He gets up and holds his hand out to her, which she takes in order to pull herself up.
"Yeah... I think I'll just go with a nice, hot tea..."
Trunks put his cup down on the table as he looked back over at his partner. "So... I've been hearing that you've been training with Cell..."
She gives him a small smile. "Yeah, he's actually a really great teacher when you manage to get his attention. He's even taught me several awesome techniques."
"He may be from an alternate timeline but I still don't trust him..." Trunks grumbles before taking another sip of his tea.
Paolina lets out a small giggle. "It's because he killed you in one of those alternate timelines isn't it?" the reactionary scowl only managed to get her to laugh a little louder. "Come on Trunks, you know as well as I do that the Supreme Kai of Time wouldn't let him come here if he was going to destroy the place."
"Still, it doesn't change the fact that you shouldn't let your guard down around him."
"You really need to lighten up a bit Trunks. All this stress isn't healthy for you."
"You're one to talk, a week after defeating Demigra and you start getting quieter just to fight your parallel quests solo."
"That's because I don't need to bring anyone else along... I'm able to fight Beerus to a standstill, I destroyed Demigra with Goku's help and when we gathered all of those time chasm shards I helped fight Broly... actually... I think I was the only one who was actually doing anything to him! Bardock's change into a great ape didn't help the battle one bit, Vegeta only threw himself into the fray and became little more than a distraction as I tried to keep him from getting killed!" She grits her teeth as she stands. "You want to know why I've been going solo on my patrols? It's because I don't want to risk anyone else! When Demigra destroyed the hourglass in Tokitoki I had to fight you... When you teamed up with me against Beerus and Whis you barely managed to walk away... And don't even forget about our fights with Mira."
The violet-haired teen leans back in his chair in a bit of surprise as he starts to feel a tad smaller than he normally was, especially in the presence of such a powerful Saiyan.
"Trunks, I've nearly lost you in so many battles since you wished for me to be brought here... I don't like bringing other people with me because I don't want them getting hurt either." She says quietly as she slumps back in her seat. She looks up as Trunks starts to chuckle, her face laced with confusion as he lets out a decent laugh.
"you know, you're actually almost exactly like Goku... His Saiyan pride keeps him from wanting to put others in harm's way." Once he calms down he notices her pout. "Oh come on, you know I'm right... He gets into a fight with someone stronger than anyone else and he just seems to get as giddy as you were when you had the chance to fight Lord Beerus."
"So? Beerus is a really adorable giant kitten when you get to know him..." She grumbles as she crosses her arms. She lets out another small sigh as she gets up. "Well, I gotta go do some more patrols."
"Oh! By the way, your scouter's waiting at the accessory shop, I got a call that the function you requested just got installed." Trunks says as he gets up as well. "The Kai wants me to look over a new scroll today so you might get a call."
The female Saiyan waits until Trunks leaves the cafe before she doubles over with laughter, causing a few onlookers to wonder about her sanity.
Paolina eagerly walked up to the counter of the accessory shop with a goofy smile on her face as she tried to stifle her chuckles. The robot attached to the counter greeted her with their usual happy tone.
"Good afternoon! Miss Paolina, your order just arrived today; Green New Model Scouter with standard readout and optional redout in Raditz's." The little round robot has a cover slide over the bottom of his eye-lens to make it look like he's smiling as another little robot brings a small box to the counter. The Saiyan eagerly opens up the box after handing the robot-cashier several pieces of paper that have several printed Z's on them as well as a few very large numbers. She picks up the scouter and presses a small panel to turn on the UI.
"Ooh... I like the new model, every readout is so clear..." She says as she starts walking away with the scouter, once she gets away from the store though she turns off the readout and looks back up at the sky as her feet simply seem to walk on autopilot. Her thoughts seem to flit from one battle to the next, each victory, each loss... Her frustration... her joy. Now that Demigra was gone and the threat of imminent destruction had passed it seemed that soon she would only be training and never get a real fight again.
The grand hall of a beautiful, white castle was silent as the soft, yet loud clopping of hooves on stone echoed through the chamber. Immaculate stonework slowly gave way to cracked and ruined walls, finery and artwork. Two massive doors that once stood as an icon of the greatest power in the country now lay in several splintered parts. Several feet away from the entrance was a large, winged unicorn whose once-immaculate alabaster coat was now caked with dust, dried blood and several splinters. She struggled for breath as she shakily pulled herself to her hooves, looking at her assailant.
The dark-navy winged unicorn began to let out a chuckle. "Oh sister... You really did let yourself decline... While I was stuck on the moon you simply let my country grow soft and fat." She sneered as her horn lit up with a violet-black aura, sending a shockwave of energy into the white pony to knock her off her feet and into the golden throne, cracking it and the foundation it was on. The navy pony smirked and let out another chuckle. "How fitting... killed on the very throne you denied me while all of your power lies in ruin around you. You've simply made this too easy." With another wave of her horn an etheral scimitar appeared in front of the white mare, slashing quickly so that her coat began to stain with blood. "Don't worry sister... your new queen shall trim the fat of this world so that it can be born anew." The navy pony cooed before throwing her head back in laughter.
Trunks and a pinkish-violet skinned girl looked up from a multicolored scroll with grim frowns. The girl was the first to speak, "...Trunks... get Paolina, I think we're going to need her on this one."
Trunks gives a quick nod before running out of the Time Nest so that he could fly into the sky with a trail of white ki behind him as he searched for the energy signature of his partner. "...Come on... she couldn't have gone far..." He grumbles before he finally picks up her signature and angles towards the industrial sector
Paolina is standing at the counter for the parallel missions and looks over to trunks in surprise as he lands, once she notices his serious look she seems to almost mimic it as she puts her index and middle finger to her forehead, with Trunks putting a hand on her shoulder as the two vanish and reappear next to the Supreme Kai of Time.
The female Saiyan's posture is completely serious as she looks over at the scroll. "...How long's the mission?"
The Supreme Kai shakes her head, "I don't know, the scroll is showing that this is just one possible outcome if we don't set everything right, you might be there for a while."
Paolina nods a little. "Give me ten minutes and I'll be ready." The Kai responds with only a slow nod as the Saiyan teleports out of the nest and over to a small supply shop in the market sector. She puts a card on the counter and looks at the robot on the counter. "I need capsule twenty-one, thirty-three, Fifty-... you know what, just make it the Domicile bundle with an air car thrown in." The robot gives a small nod before it gives a few beeps before swiping the card and having another robot present her with a capsule case that she tucks into her jacket. She puts her fingers to her forehead to teleport right back into the Time Nest and gives the Supreme Kai a thumbs up before walking over to the scroll.
"Hey..." Trunks says, catching her attention. "Be careful..." He says quietly as she brings the scroll up.
"Come on, when am I not?" She says with a smirk as she disappears in a flash of light, leaving the scroll hovering in the air before the Supreme Kai sets it on the table.
Trunks lets out a sigh. "She's a Saiyan, she's never careful..." He deadpans.
Paolina touched down in what looked like an incredibly thick forest, the moist ground actually squished a little under her boots as she landed. With a quick look around she turned on her scouter and set it to the normal readout in order to be quite surprised at what she saw. There were indeed plenty of energies around her, most were near level one but there were certainly a few more formidable foes that reached up to level five on the readings.
"Good to know that not every creature is pathetic here..." She mutters as she starts making her way towards an oddly-shaped level two reading. She takes to the air again, hovering around some low-hanging branches before she notices a path that the source of the energy was walking along. The reading began to have a yellow outline as she flew closer and she had to bite her lip to not let an exited squeak alert the creature. "Oh my Kami... It's an adorable little zebra! It's even got a little walking stick!" she bit her lip a little harder to keep herself from going into a giggle-fit as she landed on a pretty thick tree branch. "I have got to see if I can bring one back to Tokitoki with me..." She lets out a small chuckle only to realize that the zebra she was following had heard her. Paolina made her way to a higher branch as the zebra whipped around and scanned the treeline for her pursuer.
"Creature who has been following me, stop or for mercy you shall plea..." The zebra seems to growl in a feminine voice.
"Okay... intelligent... darn, I wanted to keep one as a pet..." Paolina pouts a little before letting out a small sigh. "Well... she didn't get to level two without being able to defend against some of these predators... so I might as well see if she can help me." The female Saiyan leaps down to the path with her boots making a slight tap on the packed ground.
The zebra gives her a slight confused look. "What manner of creature you are has me curious, of the inhabitants of the everfree you are not furious." At the girl's confused look she starts to relax her stance a little. "You seem quite peaceful, perhaps even my mind's equal. With a frame so meek perhaps you can speak?"
All this rhyming was giving the Saiyan a headache. "Y-yeah... I can talk just fine... um... Why are you rhyming?"
"To rhyme is an art, so that one's mind may stay smart." the zebra chuckles in response. "Come with me, might you be interested in some tea?"
At the offer the girl quickly found herself walking alongside the zebra, the glorious offer of some fresh tea would be a perfect way to acclimate to this new place. It was actually only a few minutes later that they arrived at a small hut that was built into a hollow tree, Paolina let out a small gasp of interest as she was invited inside and looked around. "This is so cool..."
"Small reminders of home, they are great reminders to have when I roam." The zebra explains. "My name is Zecora."
Paolina gives her a small bow. "It's good to meet you Zecora, My name's Paolina." Once she straightens up she looks around again. "So... where am I?"
"You are currently within the Everfree, a forest most hostile to many. How did you find yourself here, this place instills much fear." Zecora asks as she gets a pot of water going over the fire place.
"Oh, It's my job, I help fix big problems in time."
As the night drew on the two of them shared stories about their travels, with her zebra companion listening with quite an ear for detail.
"You come from a world with so much strife, How is it that you must always fight for your life?" Zecora gives a worried look to the muscled girl.
"Well, being an alien in my world certainly helps." Paolina chuckles. "Saiyans are naturally-gifted fighters so the stronger the enemy, the more enjoyable the fight."
Zecora nods with a pensive look. "Living to fight... in a world where might makes right."
"Well... I wouldn't exactly put it that way..." Paolina says as she gives a small shrug. "I mean, Goku and his friends fight to keep the earth safe, and so do I by proxy since I have to make sure events happen as close as they should to the way the timeline was supposed to be."
Zecora perks her ears a little. "you constantly speak of protecting a timeline, yet you sound like you stay on the sideline..."
The Saiyan shrugs, "It's important that time flows the way it should, while all our choices can spawn so many different outcomes, there's always one major timeline that is the source of all the branches... a stem timeline if someone would name it." At her companion's interested silence she takes a breath and continues. "My job is to protect the stem of the timelines and I'm here because someone is trying to change history itself on this world starting with some sort of upcoming major event."
"Perhaps the one who plans this alteration will strike at the Summer Sun Celebration." Zecora suggests as she pulls a map of the area out of one of her panniers that were resting by her chair.
Paolina quickly opens the map up to reveal a moderately detailed map of the country of Equestria. "It's surprising how we're from different worlds yet our alphabet is exactly the same..." she chuckled as she looked at the map.
"The ponies of Ponyville are hosting, an event that has all of them boasting." Zecora explains as she points to the note of where Ponyville was located. The female Saiyan nodded a little and used her scouter to take a picture of the map so that she could help it reconstruct an accurate three-dimensional model later.
"How long until the celebration?"
"The ceremony will be in three days as the ponies wait for their princess to set the sky ablaze." Zecora replies as she takes a seat to finish her tea.
"I guess I have some time to scout out the locals to see what all the hubub is about." Paolina mutters as she sits across from her zebra companion.
Author's Note
Well... after all of my experience with the LoHAV/H stories, NW,NW stories, and a few other "___ in equestria" stories, I decided to take a stab at a DBZ crossover that I've been wanting to do and just haven't figured out how to start.
Episode 13: Damn That Sexy Madu!
Author's Note
Avast! There be Pr0n in this chapter, so if ye don't have the stomach for it, ye best be hitting the Ctrl+F or F3 to find the [Pr0n] after ye come ta the first. Aside from that me hearties...
...be gentle... it's my first official 17+ chapter...
small chapter for those who don't want Pr0n... but still, a little update is better than none.
Episode 13: Damn That Sexy Madu!
Paolina regained most of her senses during the flight back to Ponyville, after spending several minutes convincing Toma that she was fine she managed to get out of his embrace and back into the, admittedly chilly, air. She shivered a little but didn't want to have anyone touching her at the moment because of all of the emotions rolling around in her mind, She was flying at quite a slow pace compared to what she usually did due to her emotions being everywhere on the spectrum and assailing her all at once.
Rainbow Dash was the first to notice as the pair made their way to the town, she quickly sped over to the two of them. "Hey! What happened? Where's the Hydra!?" She blustered quickly as she searched around.
Paolina raised a hand up about chest-height to stop her. "I killed the Hydra... it was being possessed by something way more evil... but... I'll just explain it when we meet up with the others." She explains, much to the antsy pegasus' chagrin. It was a minute later but the athlete finally nodded and had them both follow her back to Twilight's treehouse where Gomo, Trixie and the rest of the Elements of Harmony were standing with concern as they looked at the approaching group. Though Rarity nearly burst into tears as she saw what happened to Paolina's outfit. Before anyone could start speaking though Twilight quickly ushered everyone inside the library.
"Are you alright?" She asked with concern once the door was closed behind them.
Paolina nodded a little. "Yeah... I'm... I'm fine... Just a little... on edge." She replies hesitantly. "I'm just glad I was able to get the Hydra away from the town... any casualties?"
"No darling, just a house and Miss Trixie's cart." Rarity replied, motioning to the light blue mare that was nearly in tears.
"Everything... everything I had to my name was in that cart... and now..." She sobbed just before Toma made his way over to her and hugged her. Paolina's vision blurred a little as she began to picture her in that same position, but not with Toma... She quickly shook her head and put a hand to her scalp to rub the slight itch that was beginning to form.
"Are you sure yer alright sugarcube?" Applejack asked cautiously as she let the female Saiyan lean on her.
"I just... I just need a seat, I used up a lot of energy in the fight..."
Rainbow Dash flapped her wings eagerly as she tried to sit still. "Yeah! We heard a lot of explosions and saw this really bright flash, but what happened!?"
Pinkie bounded over to a seat beside Paolina and quickly sat on the couch next to her. Her entire posture was a bit more subdued than normal, which Paolina happily enjoyed as she tentatively pulled the party mare in for a soft, plushy-like hug that the pink pony was more than happy to reciprocate. "It... I had to kill the Hydra, if I didn't, it would've likely come back to cause much more damage than we could contain. But... After I destroyed it, the creature that was possessing it from the inside emerged... he... he was incredibly powerful... he was perfectly matching my power when I went into my Saiyan 2 form... I couldn't actually sense most of his energy and I could feel that he was still holding back."
"But... If he wanted to destroy the town... why would he hold back?"
"He didn't want to kill me..." Paolina replied simply. "He considers me a challenge... a challenge that he wants to see get stronger..." She takes a small breath. "T-Twilight... could I use your bathroom?" She asks quietly, a small blush forming across her face.
"Of course, it's upstairs, second door on your right." Twilight replied, having Paolina promptly stand up and bow a little before turning to Rarity.
"I'm sorry about the clothes Rarity, but... can I commission another set? I liked this pair and would really prefer to buy locally..."
"Certainly Darling, I'll get right on it..." Rarity replied quickly, making her way out of the Library and to her shop.
Once Paolina had made it upstairs Pinkie looked to Twilight and motioned for her to follow her to the kitchen. With a cautious glance to make sure nopony was listening in Pinkie quickly pulled the violet unicorn into a hushed conversation. "Twilight, you wouldn't happen to have anything to... relieve yourself... do you?"
Twilight gave her a confused look. "Pinkie, I don't know what you're talking about."
Pinkie let out a small sigh. "I could feel it since Paolina got back, something happened out there that's got her all stressed... down there..." She emphasizes the end and looks pointedly at Twilight until the unicorn's mouth takes on an 'o' shape and a blush starts forming across her face.
"I-... Sorry Pinks, I don't... I haven't had to deal with anything like that..."
"Don't worry about it Twi, I'll just have to see if the store that sells things like that is open at the moment." Pinkie replied with a smile.
Twilight gave her friend another bewildered look. "I... forgive me for asking, but... why aren't you acting like your usual self? you're usually bouncing around like you've had too many cups of coffee."
"It's because Paolina doesn't need a friend who's all bouncy and happy, she needs a friend who wants to help her relieve some stress!" Pinkie explained with a broad smile. "And I've been in more parties around town than just welcomings, so I know when a mare needs some help." She bounced a little before getting to the living room. "I'm off to the store! I'll be right back!" She singsonged.
Twilight came into the living room a few moments later with a blush across her face. "Well... I'm going to bed... uh... You can all stay the night if you would like... but I don't have the proper supplies for a sleepover..."
AJ waves her away. "I gotta get back to the farm, I'll see y'all in the morning."
"I gotta bail too... Boss says we have a cold front coming in and he needs all the morning shifters to be ready for work early." Rainbow Dash replied.
"I would love to stay Twilight... but I have to take care of all the scared animals back at my cottage..." Fluttershy explained just above a whisper as she timidly began to make her way out the door like the rest.
Gomo nodded. "Sadly, I must be getting back to earth, my duties as the World Martial Arts Champion keep me from being able to stay much longer, so I shall see you all at a later time." He explained with a slight frown as he began to get transported back to the Time Nest.
Toma let out a small sigh as he held the light-blue unicorn mare in his arms. "I don't have any major plans... so I could stay here with Trixie for the night." The unicorn nuzzled a bit deeper into his embrace. "We're part of a splinter timeline now anyway... so events in this timeline may happen much more differently... I'll need to be here in case Paolina needs help."
Twilight let out another small sigh as she nodded and sluggishly made her way up to her bedroom.
Paolina sat on the floor of the bathroom with her back against the cold porcelain of the tub as she ran her left hand through her hair while her right hand rested on her stomach. She let out a hiss of pleasure as she thought about the feeling of Madu's scales against her own belly, so smooth and yet so rough at the same time. The mere thought of his voice sent shivers of pleasure running down her spine. The Saiyan woman had already stripped down to her underwear and bra within the first few seconds of being in the bathroom, finding the burnt outfit to be way too stifling as she tried to sort out her feelings. She let out a shuddered breath as she thought about his hand on her hip, his breath on her neck...
"What... the hell...?" She asked herself quietly as she felt a burning sensation start up in her core, different from the warm fury that allowed her to become a Super Saiyan, it was like an infuriating itch that she couldn't scratch. She looked down at herself as she watched her stomach muscles clench and relax in a rhythm. The Saiyan jumped a little as she heard a knock on the door.
"Hey! It's Pinkie! I've got something to help with your shower, is it okay if I come in?" The party mare on the other side of the door asked with slight excitement.
"Yeah... come on in Pinkie..." Paolina replied as she tried to get her voice to come out as more of a whisper.
[Pr0n]
The party mare gingerly opened the door to see the mostly-nude Saiyan sitting on the floor in front of her. "Hey Lina... you okay?" She asks quietly as she pulls a brown box out of her mane.
Paolina let out another sigh. "I'm not sure... I... I feel so..."
Pinkie put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. "Pent up?" She offered with a small smile.
"Yeah... I just... I can't get Madu out of my head... That voice... those muscles... he... Just like he said, he could've had his way with me right in that forest clearing... but... the way he touched me... caressed me..."
Pinkie smiled a bit broader as she laid next to her friend. "I think he really likes you... and that he wants you to like him back."
"He does... it's just... He's the one who's been trying to kill me and screw with this timeline since I got here, his aura is the same one that possessed Gilda, the same one that enhanced Nightmare Moon..."
"But he's got you feeling like you want to get wrapped in the warmth that he could provide... giving you a nice, warm pillow all night long?" Pinkie giggled.
Paolina opened her mouth to try and say something but since she could only fumble for words she simply nodded her head as she started to pet the pink pony next to her.
"You know... I could help if you want... they only had the strap on model in stock at the store, and this wouldn't be my first time helping a mare out of her confusing feelings." Pinkie offered as she gently ran her hoof along the Saiyan's bare side. "Besides... you'd be a fun new experience for me and a pony would be a fun new experience for you!"
The Saiyan shivered a little at the touch the pony mare gave her, it was similar... but not quite exactly, like Madu's. She bit her lip before casting a wayward glance at the mare who would be her size if she were to stand on two legs. "But... How would you be able to help?"
"Easy silly, we turn on the shower, I get you washed up from the battle, and then we see where it goes from there. I've offered to Twilight a couple times since she got here but she gets so adorably flustered every time I bring it up, I should invite you to one of the adults-only parties I throw, you might just find a good way to relax there." Pinkie hopped up a little and leaned over so that she could turn on the faucet for the tub, purposefully letting Paolina lean into her side as she stretched.
The effect was almost immediate for the pent up Saiyan, as her cheek was brushed by the soft coat of hair she immediately took a deep breath, practically tasting the scents of all the care products the pink mare used. Most of them had a nice, fruity or sugary scent to them. Her legs shifted of their own accord as the burning itch in her core began returning. The pink party pony let out a small giggle as she sat back down next to the Saiyan. "We could always get started before the cleaning if you want... but we do gotta be quiet, Twilight's probably asleep in the next room... don't want to wake her up." She explained with a wink. Paolina simply nodded a little timidly as she leaned towards the pink mare once again, letting the party pony quickly pull her into a hug that let the Saiyan wrap herself in the sugary, fruity scent of her very close friend.
Paolina's brain was on overdrive, her legs were shifting like it was going out of style, her body was aching for pleasure, and her nose... oh by the Kais that scent... she would have loved to simply stay in the mare's embrace all night long if she would allow it. "I think the water's warm enough..." Pinkie cooed as she helped the shivering woman into the tub. It was a pretty nice tub, all things considered, it could easily hold two ponies laying next to each other, and the fact that Pinkie had decided instead to rest her soft body on top of the Saiyan's lower half meant that there was plenty of room for the two. She watched as the party mare let out another giggle, her mane bouncing with each laugh, "If you would rather... we could start the stress relief now and just clean up afterward..."
Paolina nodded a little dumbly, not realizing that the mare had already taken her undergarments off and exposed her inflamed sex and rather small breasts, only a C-cup... though she was still reaching into her maturity so it was more than understandable. For the first time in her life Paolina actually had the urge to cover herself in shame despite not having anywhere near the same desire in front of males. Her hazy eyes turned back to the pony that was laying along her lower half as she let out another giggle, leaning forward slowly to plant a gentle and eager kiss on the alien's lips. To say that her heartrocket was skyrating would be an understatement, the kiss itself seemed to suck all the air from her lungs as the somewhat chaste kiss began to melt into a more passionate one. She ran her tongue over the mare's lips, tasting the sugary goodness of her last meal. Her hands slowly made their way along the mare's coat, scratching gently in several spots and eliciting a shuddered moan from the pink pony.
Pinkie broke the kiss with a giggle and quickly licked her lips. "wow... that was awesome!" She squeed before leaning down to start kissing the Saiyan's cheek. "I can't wait to taste the rest of you..." She says with a breathy moan as she slowly proceeds down Paolina's neck, letting small licks join the light kisses. Each kiss and lick caused the Saiyan's toes to curl as she tried to bite back each of the moans that wanted to be let out, to let the mare know just how much of a jolt each kiss was sending through her system. Her already spent body seemed to surge with more energy as the energetic mare took her time planting kisses and small licks on her breasts, each touch only sending the warrior-alien down a rapid river that was only picking up speed, soon her fingers had to find their place in her friend's mane. Her chest was heaving as she tried to catch her breath, each kiss to her stomach seemed to let what little she would get escape just before the mare started to nuzzle her thighs.
"Oh... Oh my... by... oh..." Paolina couldn't even make a straight sentence as the mare that had once been a total enigma to her slowly and sensually let her soft tongue stroke the Saiyan's inner thighs, sending a buzz of pleasure up her spine just before her body tensed up. Pinkie let out a mix of a giggle and a squeal as Paolina's sex practically sprayed her face with sticky, warm cum.
Paolina panted hard as the white-hot pleasure began to fade from her eyes, giving her a blurred vision of the pink mare in front of her. Pinkie let out another one of her happy giggles before her tongue seemed to defy the laws of biology as she used it to lick the cum off of her face with one swoop of her tongue. "I think you may want to get cleaned, hehe... a bit salty... but you definitely needed that. Looks like we don't have to resort to the strap on though... maybe next time." She says with a smile as she starts using the shower head to get every inch of her friend's body.
"Yeah..." Paolina panted. "...maybe next time..." She agreed as she let the shower head massage her into sleep.
[Pr0n]
Pinkie smiled as she hefted the sleeping Saiyan onto her back, smiling a bit at her afterglow as Paolina nuzzled into the back of her neck like a foal. "You're so cute!" she giggled quietly as she grabbed one of the robes that Rarity had dropped off before the fight had started, it was made for a pony, but it covered the Saiyan enough to work. "Just sleep now... you had an exciting day..."
Madu sat on a nearby rooftop. "Damn... now she's got me all tense... ugh... I better go find something to do, she might wake up and sense me nearby." He grumbled as he got up and stretched a bit before taking off into the air. "She's still got a little maturing to do... but I know good hips when I see them... and she's got them." he smirked as he thought to himself shivering in delight as he thought about the scene he just watched. "I could practically hear her saying my name... oh... yeah... she totally wants me."
Paolina awoke with a start, quickly covering her eyes as she tried to block the sun from blinding her the way it always annoyingly seemed to do in the morning. "ugh... what... happened?" She groaned, letting out a yelp as a bundle of pink energy bounced into her view.
"I helped relieve some of that tension you had, and now I'm making waffles! You want some?" Pinkie explained excitedly. "Don't worry, I already asked Twilight to ask the Princesses if they knew anything about mean 'ol Madu! She should be getting a response back soon!"
Paolina ran a hand through her hair and let out a yawn. "Uh... sure... I'll have a few waffles..."
"Grrreat!" Pinkie cheered before zipping out to the kitchen.
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